Abstract
Organic amendments improve general soil conditions and stabilize crop production, but their effects on the soil hydrothermal regime, root distribution, and their contributions to water productivity (WP) of maize have not been fully studied. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the impacts of organic amendments on soil temperature, water storage depletion (SWSD), root distribution, grain yield, and the WP of summer maize (Zea mays L.) in the Guanzhong Plain of Northwest China. The control treatment (CO) applied mineral fertilizer without amendments, and the three amended treatments applied mineral fertilizer with 20 Mg ha−1 of wheat straw (MWS), farmyard manure (MFM), and bioorganic fertilizer (MBF), respectively. Organic amendments decreased SWSD compared to CO, and the lowest value was obtained in MBF, followed by MWS and MFM. Meanwhile, the lowest mean topsoil (0–10 cm) temperature was registered in MWS. Compared to CO, organic amendments generally improved the root length density (RLD) and root weight density (RWD) of maize. MBF showed the highest RLD across the whole soil profile, while MWS yielded the greatest RWD to 20 cm soil depth. Consequently, organic amendments increased grain yield by 9.9–40.3% and WP by 8.6–47.1% compared to CO, and the best performance was attained in MWS and MBF. We suggest that MWS and MBF can benefit the maize agriculture in semi-arid regions for higher yield, and WP through regulating soil hydrothermal conditions and improving root growth.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Organic amendments decreased soil water storage depletion relative to control.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Organic amendments decreased SWSD compared to CO”
t0“Summer Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
MBF had the lowest soil water storage depletion, followed by MWS and MFM.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the lowest value was obtained in MBF, followed by MWS and MFM”
e1“Organic amendments decreased SWSD compared to CO”
t0“Summer Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
MWS produced the lowest mean topsoil temperature.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the lowest mean topsoil (0–10 cm) temperature was registered in MWS”
t0“Summer Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic amendments generally increased maize root length density over control.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to CO, organic amendments generally improved the root length density (RLD) and root weight density (RWD) of maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic amendments generally increased maize root weight density over control.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to CO, organic amendments generally improved the root length density (RLD) and root weight density (RWD) of maize”
Claim · model-written summary
MBF had the highest root length density through the soil profile.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“MBF showed the highest RLD across the whole soil profile”
t0“Summer Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
MWS had the greatest root weight density to 20 cm depth.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“MWS yielded the greatest RWD to 20 cm soil depth”
t0“Summer Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic amendments increased maize grain yield by 9.9–40.3% compared with control.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“organic amendments increased grain yield by 9.9–40.3% and WP by 8.6–47.1% compared to CO”
t0“Summer Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic amendments increased maize water productivity by 8.6–47.1% compared with control.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“organic amendments increased grain yield by 9.9–40.3% and WP by 8.6–47.1% compared to CO”
t0“Summer Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
MWS and MBF performed best among organic amendments.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the best performance was attained in MWS and MBF”
t0“Summer Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend MWS and MBF for maize yield and water productivity in semi-arid regions.
- Outcome
- MWS and MBF can benefit the maize agriculture in semi-arid regions for higher yield, and WPe0
- Setting
- semi-arid regionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We suggest that MWS and MBF can benefit the maize agriculture in semi-arid regions for higher yield, and WP through regulating soil hydrothermal conditions and improving root growth”
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