Abstract
Based on our previous work modeling crop growth (CropSPAC) and water and heat transfer in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC), the model was improved by considering the effect of plastic film mulching applied to field-grown maize in North-west China. In CropSPAC, a single layer canopy model and a multi-layer soil model were adopted to simulate the energy partition between the canopy and water and heat transfer in the soil, respectively. The maize growth module included photosynthesis, growth stage calculation, biomass accumulation, and participation. The CropSPAC model coupled the maize growth module and SPAC water and heat transfer module through leaf area index (LAI), plant height and soil moisture condition in the root zone. The LAI and plant height were calculated from the maize growth module and used as input for the SPAC water and heat transfer module, and the SPAC module output for soil water stress conditions used as an input for maize growth module. We used rs, the representation of evaporation resistance, instead of the commonly used evaporation resistance rs0 to reflect the change of latent heat flux of soil evaporation under film mulching as well as the induced change in energy partition. The model was tested in a maize field at Yingke irrigation area in North-west China. Results showed reasonable agreement between the simulations and measurements of LAI, above-ground biomass and soil water content. Compared with the original model, the modified model was more reliable for maize growth simulation under film mulching and showed better accuracy for the LAI (with the coefficient of determination R2 = 0.92, the root mean square of error RMSE= 1.23, and the Nush-Suttclife efficiency Ens = 0.87), the above-ground biomass (with R2 = 0.96, RMSE= 7.17 t·ha−1 and Ens = 0.95) and the soil water content in 0–1 m soil layer (with R2 = 0.78, RMSE= 49.44 mm and Ens = 0.26). Scenarios were considered to simulate the influence of future climate change and film mulching on crop growth, soil water and heat conditions, and crop yield. The simulations indicated that the change of LAI, leaf biomass and yield are negatively correlated with temperature change, but the growing degree-days, evaporation, soil water content and soil temperature are positively correlated with temperature change. With an increase in the ratio of film mulching area, the evaporation will decrease, while the impact of film mulching on crop transpiration is not significant. In general, film mulching is effective in saving water, preserving soil moisture, increasing soil surface temperature, shortening the potential growth period, and increasing the potential yield of maize.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. 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
Modified CropSPAC agreed reasonably with measured maize leaf area index, above-ground biomass, and soil water content.
- Outcome
- reasonable agreement between the simulations and measurements of LAI, above-ground biomass and soil water contente0
- Comparator
- measurementse0
- Setting
- Yingke irrigation area in North-west Chinae1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Results showed reasonable agreement between the simulations and measurements of LAI, above-ground biomass and soil water content.”
e1“maize field at Yingke irrigation area in North-west China”
Claim · model-written summary
Modified model accuracy for maize LAI exceeded the original model, with R2 0.92, RMSE 1.23, and Ens 0.87.
- Outcome
- accuracy for the LAIe0
- Direction
- bettere0
- Value
- R2 = 0.92e0
- Qualifier
- RMSE= 1.23e0
- Comparator
- original modele0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared with the original model, the modified model was more reliable for maize growth simulation under film mulching and showed better accuracy for the LAI (with the coefficient of determination R2 = 0.92, the root mean square of error RMSE= 1.23, and the Nush-Suttclife efficiency Ens = 0.87)”
Claim · model-written summary
Modified model accuracy for above-ground biomass exceeded the original model, with R2 0.96, RMSE 7.17 t·ha−1, and Ens 0.95.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the above-ground biomass (with R2 = 0.96, RMSE= 7.17 t·ha−1 and Ens = 0.95)”
e1“Compared with the original model, the modified model was more reliable for maize growth simulation under film mulching and showed better accuracy”
Claim · model-written summary
Modified model accuracy for soil water content exceeded the original model, with R2 0.78, RMSE 49.44 mm, and Ens 0.26.
- Outcome
- soil water content in 0–1 m soil layere0
- Direction
- bettere1
- Value
- RMSE= 49.44 mme0
- Comparator
- original modele1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the soil water content in 0–1 m soil layer (with R2 = 0.78, RMSE= 49.44 mm and Ens = 0.26)”
e1“Compared with the original model, the modified model was more reliable for maize growth simulation under film mulching and showed better accuracy”
Claim · model-written summary
In simulated climate scenarios, maize LAI, leaf biomass, and yield were negatively correlated with temperature change.
- Treatment
- temperature changee0
- Outcome
- change of LAI, leaf biomass and yielde0
- Direction
- negatively correlatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the change of LAI, leaf biomass and yield are negatively correlated with temperature change”
e1“field-grown maize in North-west China”
Claim · model-written summary
Growing degree-days, evaporation, soil water content, and soil temperature were positively correlated with temperature change in simulations.
- Treatment
- temperature changee0
- Outcome
- growing degree-days, evaporation, soil water content and soil temperaturee0
- Direction
- positively correlatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the growing degree-days, evaporation, soil water content and soil temperature are positively correlated with temperature change”
e1“field-grown maize in North-west China”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing film mulching area reduced simulated evaporation.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“With an increase in the ratio of film mulching area, the evaporation will decrease”
e1“field-grown maize in North-west China”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulching had no significant effect on simulated crop transpiration.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the impact of film mulching on crop transpiration is not significant”
e1“field-grown maize in North-west China”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulching was judged effective for water saving and soil moisture preservation.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“film mulching is effective in saving water, preserving soil moisture”
e1“field-grown maize in North-west China”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulching was judged to increase soil surface temperature and potential maize yield while shortening the potential growth period.
- Treatment
- film mulchinge0
- Outcome
- increasing soil surface temperature, shortening the potential growth period, and increasing the potential yielde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“film mulching is effective in saving water, preserving soil moisture, increasing soil surface temperature, shortening the potential growth period, and increasing the potential yield of maize.”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · physiology: gas exchange · Zea mays (maize)Results differ
8 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
5 papers more in this group
See all 9 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.