Abstract
Core Ideas Film mulching significantly improved soil moisture. Film mulching required a higher N rate and plant density for maximum maize productivity. Optimum management can improve maize production and water use in semiarid regions. Film mulching has significantly improved crop productivity in semiarid areas. We hypothesized that plants grown under the film‐mulched system (FM) require higher N rates and higher plant densities than the non‐mulched system (NM) to optimize grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE). A 2‐yr field experiment was conducted at the Changwu experimental station to evaluate the effects of N supply and plant density on grain yield, yield components, evapotranspiration, and WUE in spring maize ( Zea mays L.) with and without film mulching. Results showed that FM improved topsoil water content. Mulch practice × N rate and mulch practice × plant density interactions existed for yield and WUE in both years. Regression analysis showed that yield and WUE increased with increasing N rate and plant density for FM. The predicted maximum yield (14.3 and 15.1 Mg ha −1 in 2013 and 2014, respectively) and WUE (31.3 and 38.4 kg ha −1 mm −1 in 2013 and 2014, respectively) for FM were obtained at 280 kg N ha −1 and 80,000 plants ha −1 . Lower N amounts and lower plant densities were required for NM to obtain the maximum yield and WUE. However, field experiments showed that the N amount of 225 kg ha −1 in FM increased N use efficiency while yielding >94% of the maximum. In conclusion, film mulching together with optimum N application rates and plant densities can improve maize production and WUE in semiarid regions.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulching increased topsoil water content.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Results showed that FM improved topsoil water content.”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch practice interacted with nitrogen rate for yield and water use efficiency in both years.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Mulch practice × N rate and mulch practice × plant density interactions existed for yield and WUE in both years.”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch practice interacted with plant density for yield and water use efficiency in both years.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Mulch practice × N rate and mulch practice × plant density interactions existed for yield and WUE in both years.”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Under film mulch, yield increased with nitrogen rate and plant density.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield and WUE increased with increasing N rate and plant density for FM.”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Under film mulch, water use efficiency increased with nitrogen rate and plant density.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yield and WUE increased with increasing N rate and plant density for FM.”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Predicted maximum film mulch yield in 2013 was 14.3 Mg ha −1 at 280 kg N ha −1 and 80,000 plants ha −1.
- Treatment
- 280 kg N ha −1 and 80,000 plants ha −1e0
- Outcome
- maximum yielde0
- Direction
- maximume0
- Value
- 14.3 and 15.1 Mg ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- in 2013 and 2014, respectivelye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The predicted maximum yield (14.3 and 15.1 Mg ha −1 in 2013 and 2014, respectively) and WUE (31.3 and 38.4 kg ha −1 mm −1 in 2013 and 2014, respectively) for FM were obtained at 280 kg N ha −1 and 80,000 plants ha −1 .”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Predicted maximum film mulch water use efficiency was 31.3 and 38.4 kg ha −1 mm −1 in 2013 and 2014.
- Treatment
- 280 kg N ha −1 and 80,000 plants ha −1e0
- Outcome
- WUEe0
- Value
- 31.3 and 38.4 kg ha −1 mm −1e0
- Qualifier
- in 2013 and 2014, respectivelye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“WUE (31.3 and 38.4 kg ha −1 mm −1 in 2013 and 2014, respectively) for FM were obtained at 280 kg N ha −1 and 80,000 plants ha −1”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
The nonmulched system needed lower nitrogen and density for maximum yield and water use efficiency.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Lower N amounts and lower plant densities were required for NM to obtain the maximum yield and WUE.”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
In film mulch, 225 kg ha −1 nitrogen increased nitrogen use efficiency while achieving over 94% of maximum yield.
- Treatment
- 225 kg ha −1 in FMe0
- Outcome
- N use efficiencye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- yielding >94% of the maximume0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the N amount of 225 kg ha −1 in FM increased N use efficiency while yielding >94% of the maximum.”
t0“Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate and Plant Density under Film Mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch with optimum nitrogen and density can improve maize production and water use efficiency in semiarid regions.
- Outcome
- film mulching together with optimum N application rates and plant densitiese0
- Setting
- semiarid regionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“film mulching together with optimum N application rates and plant densities can improve maize production and WUE in semiarid regions.”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · nutrient: efficiency · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
10 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- no effect
- positive
9 papers more in this group
See all 13 papers →mulching · soil: physics · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
96 papers in the same direction as this paper · 13 in the opposite direction · 2 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- negative
108 papers more in this group
See all 112 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.