Abstract
Summary Plastic film (PF) mulching is widely applied in agriculture to improve water-use efficiency (WUE) and crop production. However, without efficient recovery, the residual plastic fragments in arable land threaten soil health and food security. Degradable films are generally considered as alternatives to conventional PF to mitigate PF pollution. A 2-year field experiment was conducted in 2016 and 2017 to evaluate the effects of various film mulching treatments (conventional PF mulching, transparent degradable film (TDF) mulching, and black degradable film (BDF) mulching, and no mulching) on soil water availability and summer maize yield in the North China Plain (NCP). Soil moisture, soil water storage, water use, and grain yield were recorded. Below 20 cm depth, soil moisture and soil water storage were higher in film mulching than in no mulching. Conventional PF mulching yielded the best water conservation, especially from sowing to jointing. TDF and BDF were similar in their regulation of soil moisture. Comparing to no mulching, conventional PF and degradable transparent film significantly reduced maize grain yield by 15.4 and 8.0% (average over 2 years), and reduced WUE by 9.4 and 7.8% (average 2 years), respectively. The observed reduction of grain yield in transparent film mulching might be caused by excessive soil temperature, especially at vegetative stages, which potentially accelerates crop senescence. Black film mulching reduced the soil cumulative temperature and prevent crops from being overheated. As consequence, grain yield and WUE of summer maize under BDF covering were significantly increased by 11.1 and 15.6%, respectively, over the 2 years. Therefore, we suggest that BDF can be used to replace conventional plastics to improve crop yield and control environmental pollution in the NCP.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional plastic film mulching gave the best water conservation of summer maize, especially from sowing to jointing.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e1“Conventional PF mulching yielded the best water conservation, especially from sowing to jointing”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulching increased soil moisture below 20 cm depth compared with no mulching.
- Treatment
- film mulchinge2
- Outcome
- soil moisturee2
- Direction
- highere2
- Qualifier
- Below 20 cm depthe2
- Comparator
- no mulchinge2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e2“Below 20 cm depth, soil moisture and soil water storage were higher in film mulching than in no mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
TDF and BDF mulching regulated soil moisture similarly.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e3“TDF and BDF were similar in their regulation of soil moisture”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional PF mulching significantly reduced maize grain yield by 15.4% compared with no mulching.
- Treatment
- conventional PFe4
- Outcome
- maize grain yielde4
- Direction
- reducede4
- Value
- 15.4e4
- Comparator
- no mulchinge4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e4“Comparing to no mulching, conventional PF and degradable transparent film significantly reduced maize grain yield by 15.4 and 8.0% (average over 2 years), and reduced WUE by 9.4 and 7.8% (average 2 years), respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Degradable transparent film mulching significantly reduced maize grain yield by 8.0% compared with no mulching.
- Treatment
- degradable transparent filme4
- Outcome
- maize grain yielde4
- Direction
- reducede4
- Value
- 8.0%e4
- Comparator
- no mulchinge4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e4“Comparing to no mulching, conventional PF and degradable transparent film significantly reduced maize grain yield by 15.4 and 8.0% (average over 2 years), and reduced WUE by 9.4 and 7.8% (average 2 years), respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional PF mulching reduced summer maize WUE by 9.4% compared with no mulching.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e4“Comparing to no mulching, conventional PF and degradable transparent film significantly reduced maize grain yield by 15.4 and 8.0% (average over 2 years), and reduced WUE by 9.4 and 7.8% (average 2 years), respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Degradable transparent film mulching reduced summer maize WUE by 7.8% compared with no mulching.
- Treatment
- degradable transparent filme4
- Outcome
- WUEe4
- Direction
- reducede4
- Value
- 7.8e4
- Comparator
- no mulchinge4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e4“Comparing to no mulching, conventional PF and degradable transparent film significantly reduced maize grain yield by 15.4 and 8.0% (average over 2 years), and reduced WUE by 9.4 and 7.8% (average 2 years), respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
The grain yield reduction under transparent film mulching might be caused by excessive soil temperature.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e5“The observed reduction of grain yield in transparent film mulching might be caused by excessive soil temperature, especially at vegetative stages, which potentially accelerates crop senescence”
Claim · model-written summary
Black degradable film mulching increased summer maize grain yield by 11.1% over two years.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e6“grain yield and WUE of summer maize under BDF covering were significantly increased by 11.1 and 15.6%, respectively, over the 2 years”
Claim · model-written summary
Black degradable film mulching increased summer maize WUE by 15.6% over two years.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e6“grain yield and WUE of summer maize under BDF covering were significantly increased by 11.1 and 15.6%, respectively, over the 2 years”
Claim · model-written summary
Black film mulching reduced soil cumulative temperature and prevented crops from overheating.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e7“Black film mulching reduced the soil cumulative temperature and prevent crops from being overheated”
Claim · model-written summary
Black degradable film should replace conventional plastics to improve crop yield and control pollution in the North China Plain.
- Outcome
- crop yielde7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“summer maize in response to mulching with different plastic films”
e7“we suggest that BDF can be used to replace conventional plastics to improve crop yield and control environmental pollution in the NCP”
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