Abstract
Mulching could effectively improve the soil hydrothermal environment, improve changes in the soil structure, increase entropy, and conserve soil moisture to solve the problem of grain reduction caused by perennial drought in Northwest China. Thus, a two-growing-season field experiment (2021–2022) with five treatments (PM1, biodegradable plastic film mulching; PM2, plastic film mulching; SM1, straw strip mulching; SM2, crushed corn straw full mulching; and CK, no mulching as the control) was conducted to investigate the effects of different mulching materials on the soil hydrothermal environment, soil aggregate distribution, stability, and tuber yield of rainfed potato farmland in Northwest China. Over two growing seasons, mulching planting, on average, increased (p < 0.05) the soil moisture at the 0–200 cm depth by 9.0% relative to CK (SM2 (11.6%) > SM1 (10.3%) > PM2 (8.6%) > PM1 (7.0%)). The mulching treatments significantly regulated the soil temperature during the whole growth period, in which plastic mulching significantly increased the soil temperature of the 0–25 cm soil depth during the whole growth period by 2.1 °C (PM2 (2.1 °C) > PM1 (2.0 °C)); meanwhile, straw mulching significantly reduced the soil temperature by 1.4 °C (SM2 (0.9 °C) > SM1 (0.6 °C)). All mulching treatments improved the soil macroaggregate content and soil aggregate stability in all soil depths from 0 to 40 cm, with increases of 31.4% and 27.1% in the mean weight diameter (MWD) and 22.6% and 21.2% in the geometric mean diameter (GWD) compared with CK, respectively. Straw and plastic mulching significantly increased the fresh tuber yield by 12.5% and 12.6% compared with CK, respectively. The increases were greatest in SM2 and PM2. Crushed corn straw full mulching is difficult to sow and harvest; therefore, straw strip mulching could improve the soil hydrothermal environment, increase production, and provide an environmentally friendly technology for dryland potato production.
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Claims 17
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching increased soil moisture at 0–200 cm by 9.0% relative to no mulching.
- Taxon
- Potato
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Treatment
- mulching plantinge0
- Outcome
- soil moisturee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 9.0%e0
- Comparator
- CKe0
- Setting
- 0–200 cm depthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“mulching planting, on average, increased (p < 0.05) the soil moisture at the 0–200 cm depth by 9.0% relative to CK”
Claim · model-written summary
SM2 increased soil moisture by 11.6%.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- SM2e0
- Outcome
- soil moisturee1
- Direction
- increaseinferrede0
- Value
- 11.6%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“SM2 (11.6%) > SM1 (10.3%) > PM2 (8.6%) > PM1 (7.0%)”
e1“soil moisture at the 0–200 cm depth”
Claim · model-written summary
SM1 increased soil moisture by 10.3%.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- SM1e0
- Outcome
- soil moisturee1
- Direction
- increaseinferrede0
- Value
- 10.3%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“SM2 (11.6%) > SM1 (10.3%) > PM2 (8.6%) > PM1 (7.0%)”
e1“soil moisture at the 0–200 cm depth”
Claim · model-written summary
PM2 increased soil moisture by 8.6%.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- PM2e0
- Outcome
- soil moisturee1
- Direction
- increaseinferrede0
- Value
- 8.6%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“SM2 (11.6%) > SM1 (10.3%) > PM2 (8.6%) > PM1 (7.0%)”
e1“soil moisture at the 0–200 cm depth”
Claim · model-written summary
PM1 increased soil moisture by 7.0%.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- PM1e0
- Outcome
- soil moisturee1
- Direction
- increaseinferrede0
- Value
- 7.0%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“SM2 (11.6%) > SM1 (10.3%) > PM2 (8.6%) > PM1 (7.0%)”
e1“soil moisture at the 0–200 cm depth”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic mulching increased soil temperature by 2.1 °C.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- plastic mulchinge0
- Outcome
- soil temperaturee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 2.1 °Ce0
- Setting
- 0–25 cm soil depthe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“plastic mulching significantly increased the soil temperature of the 0–25 cm soil depth during the whole growth period by 2.1 °C”
Claim · model-written summary
PM1 increased soil temperature by 2.0 °C.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- PM1e0
- Outcome
- soil temperaturee1
- Direction
- increaseinferrede0
- Value
- 2.0 °Ce0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“PM2 (2.1 °C) > PM1 (2.0 °C)”
e1“the soil temperature of the 0–25 cm soil depth”
Claim · model-written summary
Straw mulching reduced soil temperature by 1.4 °C.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- straw mulchinge0
- Outcome
- soil temperaturee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 1.4 °Ce0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“straw mulching significantly reduced the soil temperature by 1.4 °C”
Claim · model-written summary
SM2 reduced soil temperature by 0.9 °C.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- SM2e0
- Outcome
- soil temperaturee1
- Direction
- decreaseinferrede0
- Value
- 0.9 °Ce0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“SM2 (0.9 °C) > SM1 (0.6 °C)”
e1“the soil temperature of the 0–25 cm soil depth”
Claim · model-written summary
SM1 reduced soil temperature by 0.6 °C.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- SM1e0
- Outcome
- soil temperaturee1
- Direction
- decreaseinferrede0
- Value
- 0.6 °Ce0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“SM2 (0.9 °C) > SM1 (0.6 °C)”
e1“the soil temperature of the 0–25 cm soil depth”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching improved soil macroaggregate content and aggregate stability at 0–40 cm.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- All mulching treatmentse0
- Outcome
- soil macroaggregate content and soil aggregate stabilitye0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Setting
- all soil depths from 0 to 40 cme0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“All mulching treatments improved the soil macroaggregate content and soil aggregate stability in all soil depths from 0 to 40 cm”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching increased mean weight diameter by 31.4% and 27.1%.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- mulching treatmentse1
- Outcome
- mean weight diameter (MWD)e0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 31.4% and 27.1%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“increases of 31.4% and 27.1% in the mean weight diameter (MWD)”
e1“All mulching treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching increased geometric mean diameter by 22.6% and 21.2%.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- mulching treatmentse1
- Outcome
- geometric mean diameter (GWD)e0
- Direction
- increaseinferrede0
- Value
- 22.6% and 21.2%e0
- Comparator
- CKe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“22.6% and 21.2% in the geometric mean diameter (GWD) compared with CK”
e1“All mulching treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Straw mulching increased fresh tuber yield by 12.5% relative to CK.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- Strawe0
- Outcome
- fresh tuber yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 12.5%e0
- Comparator
- CKe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“Straw and plastic mulching significantly increased the fresh tuber yield by 12.5% and 12.6% compared with CK”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic mulching increased fresh tuber yield by 12.6% relative to CK.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- plastic mulchinge0
- Outcome
- fresh tuber yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 12.6%e0
- Comparator
- CKe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“Straw and plastic mulching significantly increased the fresh tuber yield by 12.5% and 12.6% compared with CK”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield increases were greatest with SM2 and PM2.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- SM2 and PM2e0
- Outcome
- increasese0
- Direction
- greateste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“The increases were greatest in SM2 and PM2”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend straw strip mulching for dryland potato production.
- Taxon
- PotatoSolanum tuberosumt0
- Outcome
- straw strip mulchinge0
- Setting
- dryland potato productione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Potato”
e0“straw strip mulching could improve the soil hydrothermal environment, increase production, and provide an environmentally friendly technology for dryland potato production”
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