| Effects of mulching periods on soil moisture and growth of dryland flax under combined micro-ridge with fully film mulching practice |
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| DOI：10.16302/j.cnki.1000-7601.2015.02.003 |
| Key Words: combined micro-ridge with fully film mulching mulching periods soil water content dryland flax yield performance |
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| Abstract: |
| Drought during both spring and autumn has been proved to be one of most important limiting factors on flax productivity in dryland farming regions of Yuzhong. Reducing invalid evaporation and increasing availability of soil water content during both seasons have been considered to be an effective tactic to achieve stable and highly effective flax productivity through improving soil moisture at early flax developmental stages. A field experiment by comparing different mulching periods under the farming practice of combined micro-ridge with fully film mulching was carried out to examine the effects of differential soil water levels on flax growth from 2011 to 2012 at Yuzhong Shitougou Dryland Agriculture Demonstration Site, where crop productivity was characterized by typical semiarid rainfall agriculture system in Gansu Province. Three treatments were arranged in our study, including (1) applying combined micro-ridge with fully film mulching at autumn and planting flax on the sides of ridge in next spring; (2) applying combined micro-ridge with fully film mulching 1-2 days before sowing season in spring; (3) bunch planting in bare land without mulching to explore the change of soil water content, flax phenology, economic benefits and yield performance with the treatments. Our results showed that the application of combined micro-ridge approach in autumn reduced the invalid evaporation and increased soil water content significantly. By comparing variations between application of the combined micro-ridge treatment during autumn and application before sowing and bunch planting, it was found that the average water content at 0～60 cm soil layer was enhanced by 31.9 g·kg-1 and 45.3 g·kg-1, plant height was elevated by 3.8 cm and 14.7 cm, capsule number per plant went up by 8.5 and 11.5, kernel number per capsule ascended by 0.6 and 1.65, thousand kernel weight was advanced by 0.05 g and 0.31 g, grain yield was increased by 17.41% and 129.54%, respectively. The economic properties had been improved largely with the treatment during autumn. Our results indicated that the combined micro-ridge with fully film mulching applied in autumn and flax planted on the sides of ridge in next spring could be expected to be one of most effective farming approaches to the achievement of stable and highly effective flax productivity in semiarid rainfall agricultural system. |
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