Abstract
Abstract A plastic‐covered ridge and furrow farming of rainfall collecting (RC) system were designed to increase water availability to corn for improving and stabilizing agricultural production in the semiarid Loess region of northwest China. This system comprised two elements: the ridge mulched by plastic film that acts as a rainfall harvesting zone and the furrow as a planting zone. To adopt this system for large‐scale use in the semiarid region and bring it into full play, it is necessary to test the appropriate rainfall range for RC farming. A field study (using corn as an indicator crop) combined with rainfall simulation was conducted to determine the effect of RC on soil moisture, root characteristic parameters and the yield of corn under three different rainfall levels (230, 340 and 440 mm) during the growing seasons of 2006 and 2007. The results indicated that with the rainfalls ranging within 230–440 mm, the soil moisture at 0–100 cm depth for RC system in furrows was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of conventional flat (CF for control) practice. At 100–200 cm soil depth, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between soil moisture in the RC 230 plots and in the CF 230 plots during the corn growing seasons, while the soil moisture both in the RC 340 and RC 440 plots were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those in the CF 340 and CF 440 plots. The root length, root surface area, root volume and root dry weight for RC 230 and RC 340 plots all significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared with CF 230 and CF 340 plots, but these root characteristic parameters at 440 mm rainfall slightly decreased compared with those of CF practice. Compared with the CF 230–440 pattern, the increasing amplitude of grain yield under the RC 230–440 pattern diminished with the rainfall increase and there was no obvious yield‐incrementing effect (P > 0.05) between two patterns at 440 mm rainfall in 2006. In comparison with these two farming practices, the RC system not only improved soil moisture of dry farmland, but also promoted the development of corn root systems when the rainfall ranged between 230 and 440 mm. Thus, it could be concluded that the optimal upper rainfall limit for the RC system is below 440 mm in the experiment. For corn, the adoption of the RC practice in the 230–440 mm rainfall area will make the system more effective during the whole growth period and offer a sound opportunity for sustainable farming in semiarid areas.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Ridge and furrow plots had higher topsoil moisture than flat plots at 230–440 mm rainfall.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Treatment
- RC systeme0
- Outcome
- soil moisturee0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- conventional flat (CF for control) practicee0
Not reportedOrgan / stage
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the soil moisture at 0–100 cm depth for RC system in furrows was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of conventional flat (CF for control) practice.”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Deep soil moisture at 230 mm did not differ between systems.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- RC 230 plotse0
- Outcome
- soil moisturee0
- Direction
- no significant differencee0
- Comparator
- CF 230 plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between soil moisture in the RC 230 plots and in the CF 230 plots”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Deep soil moisture at 340 and 440 mm was higher in ridge and furrow plots.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- RC 340 and RC 440 plotse0
- Outcome
- soil moisturee0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- CF 340 and CF 440 plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the soil moisture both in the RC 340 and RC 440 plots were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those in the CF 340 and CF 440 plots.”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Ridge and furrow increased root length, surface area, volume and dry weight at 230 and 340 mm.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- RC 230 and RC 340 plotse0
- Outcome
- root length, root surface area, root volume and root dry weighte0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- CF 230 and CF 340 plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The root length, root surface area, root volume and root dry weight for RC 230 and RC 340 plots all significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared with CF 230 and CF 340 plots”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
At 440 mm, ridge and furrow slightly reduced root parameters.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- 440 mm rainfalle0
- Outcome
- root characteristic parameterse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Comparator
- CF practicee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“these root characteristic parameters at 440 mm rainfall slightly decreased compared with those of CF practice.”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield benefit declined as rainfall increased.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- RC 230–440 patterne0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- diminishede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the increasing amplitude of grain yield under the RC 230–440 pattern diminished with the rainfall increase”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
At 440 mm in 2006, yield did not significantly differ between patterns.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- two patternse0
- Outcome
- yield‐incrementing effecte0
- Direction
- no obviouse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there was no obvious yield‐incrementing effect (P > 0.05) between two patterns at 440 mm rainfall in 2006.”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors concluded the upper rainfall limit for ridge and furrow use is below 440 mm.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- optimal upper rainfall limite0
- Value
- 440 mme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the optimal upper rainfall limit for the RC system is below 440 mm in the experiment.”
t0“Corn”
The same questions in other papers
rainfall · soil: physics · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.