Mulch enhanced the utility factor of soil moisture.

Zea mays subsp. mays · soil: physics · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results

6 papers in the same direction as this claim · 5 in the opposite direction

1. negative
   corn changed soil water by −1.3 mm in the second year after alfalfa conversion.

   Responses of Soil Water, Nitrogen, and Organic Matter to the Alfalfa Crop Rotation in Semiarid Loess Area of China · 2006

   Opposite direction

2. negative
   Increasing density decreased soil water storage.

   Effects of planting density on soil moisture and corn yield under plastic film mulching in a rain-fed region of northeast China · 2014

   Opposite direction

3. no effect
   Dragging at V1–V3 did not significantly affect grain moisture.

   Dragging a manure hose over corn at early growth stages does not reduce yield · 2021

   Opposite direction

4. negative
   corn channels affected runoff and sediment export.

   An improvement on the management of biomass removal from vegetated channels and the methods used in runoff research · 2011

   Opposite direction

5. negative
   Harvesting corn residue increased runoff by 27%.

   Corn Row Spacing as a Management Strategy to Reduce Water Runoff and Sediment Losses · 2023

   Opposite direction

6. positive
   More soil moisture was found under sod-planted corn than under conventionally tilled corn, especially in the first half of the growing season.

   Winter Cover Crops for Sod‐Planted Corn: Their Selection and Management¹ · 1967 · compared with conventionally tilled corn

   Same direction

7. positive
   Cover crop systems stored 20 mm more soil water in 2017 and 2018.

   Interseeded cover crop mixtures influence soil water storage during the corn phase of corn-soybean-wheat no-till cropping systems · 2023 · compared with no CC before corn (NC)

   Same direction

8. positive
   Corn intercropped with forage grasses reduced soil bulk density in the 0-0.10 m depth compared with non-intercropped corn.

   Quantification of resistance to Meloidogyne incognita in okra cultivars using linear and nonlinear analyses of growth parameters and nematode infestations · 2023 · compared with non-intercropping corn

   Same direction

3 papers more in this group

Triticum aestivum · soil: physics · Zea mays (maize)Results agree

8 papers in the same direction as this claim

1. positive
   Winter wheat residue increased soil moisture.

   Effect of Winter Wheat Crop Residue on No‐Till Corn Growth and Development · 2007

   Same direction

2. positive
   Winter wheat irrigation increased summer maize presowing soil moisture to 17.7, 57.3 and 79.6 mm under T1, T2 and T3.

   Effect of Irrigation to Winter Wheat on the Soil Moisture, Evapotranspiration, and Water Use Efficiency of Summer Maize in North China · 2007

   Same direction

3. positive
   Irrigation later in the winter wheat growing season improved soil moisture before sowing (SMBS) for summer maize.

   Effect of Irrigation to Winter Wheat on the Radiation Use Efficiency and Yield of Summer Maize in a Double Cropping System · 2012

   Same direction

4. positive
   Rotary tillage after subsoiling in the winter wheat season decreased soil bulk density in the summer maize season compared with rotary tillage.

   Effects of winter wheat season tillage on soil properties and yield of summer maize · 2017 · compared with rotary tillage (R)

   Same direction

5. positive
   Brown manuring plus herbicide combination gave 7% greater saturated hydraulic conductivity than herbicide combinations alone.

   Weed and nitrogen management effects on weed suppression, soil properties and crop productivity in a maize (Zea mays) - wheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system under conservation agriculture · 2018 · compared with herbicide combinations alone

   Same direction

6. positive
   Subsoiling before wheat sowing increased soil water storage at summer maize sowing.

   Subsoiling Before Wheat Sowing Enhances Grain Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Maize in Dryland Winter Wheat and Summer Maize Double Cropping System Under One-Off Irrigation Practice During the Wheat Season · 2025

   Same direction

7. positive
   Higher wheat-season irrigation increased initial soil moisture for subsequent maize.

   Much improved irrigation wheat-maize double use efficiency in an intensive cropping system in the north China plain · 2007

   Same direction

8. positive
   Wheat residue mulch reduced soil moisture depletion.

   Yields and weed management of sweet corn as influenced by seedbed preparation methods and wheat residues rates · 2022

   Same direction

mulching · soil: physics · Triticum aestivum (wheat)Positive and negative results

20 papers in the same direction as this claim · 3 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative

1. positive
   Concrete mulch was more effective than plastic film mulch in conserving soil water.

   Effect of different mulch materials on winter wheat production in desalinized soil in Heilonggang region of North China · 2006 · compared with plastic film mulch

   Same directionCites this paper

2. negative
   Less mulch lowered spring soil temperature by 0.42°C.

   Effects of straw mulching on soil temperature, evaporation and yield of winter wheat: field experiments on the North China Plain · 2007 · compared with CK

   Opposite direction

3. negative
   High mulching reduced soil temperature and impeded its early spring rise.

   Combined effects of mulching and crop density on soil evaporation, temperature, and water use efficiency of winter wheat · 2021

   Opposite direction

4. no effect
   Packing thin mulch over a dense tillage pan did not affect soil bulk density.

   Packing Summer Fallow in the Pacific Northwest: Agronomic Benefits and Environmental Concerns · 1996

   Opposite direction

5. no effect
   Post-harvest soil water storage was similar under plastic and straw mulch.

   Plastic mulch increases dryland wheat yield and water-use productivity, while straw mulch increases soil water storage · 2024 · compared with SM treatments

   No difference from an alternative

6. positive
   Compared with the unmulched control, SM changed soil water storage at 0–200 cm by 25 on average over six growing seasons.

   Straw strip mulching in a semiarid rainfed agroecosystem achieves winter wheat yields similar to those of full plastic mulching by optimizing the soil hydrothermal regime · 2021 · compared with CK

   Same direction

7. positive
   Maize stalk mulch conserved more soil moisture than fallow or repeated tillage.

   Residual soil moisture and wheat yield in relation to mulching and tillage during preceding rainfed crop · 1990 · compared with fallow control or repeated ploughings and plankings

   Same direction

8. positive
   Straw strip mulching improved soil water storage in the 0–180 cm soil layer over the whole growth period

   Straw strip mulching: A sustainable technology for saving water and improving efficiency in dryland winter wheat production · 2022 · compared with conventional flat planting without mulching (CK)

   Same direction

16 papers more in this group