Abstract
In both arid and semi-arid regions, adopting field mulching can effectively optimize soil moisture distribution, enhance crop yields, and improve water productivity. While acknowledging its advantages, field mulching seems insufficient for maintaining high crop productivity due to the increasing frequency of extreme weather. Furthermore, drought often coincides with critical crop growth stages, necessitating the implementation of agricultural irrigation to ensure normal crop growth. Accordingly, we conducted a three-year field experiment from 2021 to 2023 including three typical field mulching methods (no mulching, NM; straw mulching, SM; plastic film mulching, FM) and three supplementary irrigation strategies (irrigated at the branching stage (V4), W1; irrigated at the pod-filling stage (R2), W2; irrigated at both the V4 and R2 stage, W3). Throughout the entire growth period, we monitored soil moisture conditions for each treatment, measured leaf physiological parameters at crucial growth stages, and assessed soybean yields and water productivity (WP). Our findings indicated that, relative to SM and NM, FM maintains optimal soil moisture balance, augments chlorophyll content, and enhances photosynthesis, resulting in an average yield increase of 17.0% and 38.3% over three growing seasons. Additionally, supplementary irrigation also significantly affects the growth and seed yield of soybean. FMW2 achieved the higher seed yield (4307.5 kg ha−1, 3-year averaged), had insignificant difference with the highest seed yield of 4568.6 kg ha−1, both significantly higher than other treatments. Similarly, the leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr) also presented insignificant difference between FMW2 and FMW3, while WUEleaf (Pn/Tr) of FMW2 obviously higher than that of FMW3. As a result, FMW2 achieved the highest WP of 12.2 kg ha−1 mm−1 over the three growing seasons, compared to the three-year average of the other treatments, the increase ranges from 5.6% to 46.7%. In summary, the FMW2 treatment optimized water distribution to meet the water demands of soybeans during the reproductive growth stages, achieving a beneficial balance between soybean seed production and WP by regulating leaf functional parameters. Future research will explore more specific irrigation scheduling techniques (e.g., precision irrigation, deficit irrigation, and sensor-based irrigation management systems) while integrating innovative agricultural film materials (e.g., biodegradable films) to further enhance crop resilience and productivity under evolving climatic conditions.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic film mulching (FM) increased average soybean yield by 17.0% and 38.3% relative to straw mulching (SM) and no mulching (NM) over three growing seasons.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxt0 - Treatment
- plastic film mulchinge1
- Outcome
- average yielde4
- Direction
- increasee4
- Value
- 17.0% and 38.3%e4
- Comparator
- SM and NMe4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e1“plastic film mulching, FM”
e4“relative to SM and NM, FM maintains optimal soil moisture balance, augments chlorophyll content, and enhances photosynthesis, resulting in an average yield increase of 17.0% and 38.3% over three growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic film mulching (FM) maintains optimal soil moisture balance relative to SM and NM.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- plastic film mulchinge1
- Outcome
- soil moisture balancee4
- Direction
- maintainse4
- Comparator
- SM and NMe4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e1“plastic film mulching, FM”
e4“relative to SM and NM, FM maintains optimal soil moisture balance, augments chlorophyll content, and enhances photosynthesis, resulting in an average yield increase of 17.0% and 38.3% over three growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic film mulching (FM) augments chlorophyll content relative to SM and NM.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- plastic film mulchinge1
- Outcome
- chlorophyll contente4
- Direction
- augmentse4
- Comparator
- SM and NMe4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e1“plastic film mulching, FM”
e4“relative to SM and NM, FM maintains optimal soil moisture balance, augments chlorophyll content, and enhances photosynthesis, resulting in an average yield increase of 17.0% and 38.3% over three growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic film mulching (FM) enhances photosynthesis relative to SM and NM.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- plastic film mulchinge1
- Outcome
- photosynthesise4
- Direction
- enhancese4
- Comparator
- SM and NMe4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e1“plastic film mulching, FM”
e4“relative to SM and NM, FM maintains optimal soil moisture balance, augments chlorophyll content, and enhances photosynthesis, resulting in an average yield increase of 17.0% and 38.3% over three growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Supplementary irrigation significantly affects growth and seed yield of soybean.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- supplementary irrigatione5
- Outcome
- growth and seed yielde5
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e5“supplementary irrigation also significantly affects the growth and seed yield of soybean”
Claim · model-written summary
FMW2 achieved a significantly higher seed yield (4307.5 kg ha−1, 3-year averaged) than other treatments.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- FMW2e6
- Outcome
- seed yielde6
- Direction
- highere6
- Value
- 4307.5 kg ha−1e6
- Comparator
- other treatmentse6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e6“FMW2 achieved the higher seed yield (4307.5 kg ha−1, 3-year averaged), had insignificant difference with the highest seed yield of 4568.6 kg ha−1, both significantly higher than other treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
FMW2 seed yield did not differ significantly from the highest seed yield of 4568.6 kg ha−1.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- FMW2e6
- Outcome
- seed yielde6
- Direction
- insignificant differencee6
- Value
- 4568.6 kg ha−1e6
- Comparator
- highest seed yielde6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e6“FMW2 achieved the higher seed yield (4307.5 kg ha−1, 3-year averaged), had insignificant difference with the highest seed yield of 4568.6 kg ha−1, both significantly higher than other treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf area index, chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) did not differ significantly between FMW2 and FMW3.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- FMW2e7
- Outcome
- leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn)e7
- Direction
- insignificant differencee7
- Comparator
- FMW3e7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e7“Similarly, the leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr) also presented insignificant difference between FMW2 and FMW3”
Claim · model-written summary
Transpiration rate (Tr) did not differ significantly between FMW2 and FMW3.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- FMW2e7
- Outcome
- transpiration rate (Tr)e7
- Direction
- insignificant differencee7
- Comparator
- FMW3e7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e7“Similarly, the leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr) also presented insignificant difference between FMW2 and FMW3”
Claim · model-written summary
WUEleaf (Pn/Tr) of FMW2 was obviously higher than that of FMW3.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- FMW2e2
- Outcome
- WUEleaf (Pn/Tr)e2
- Direction
- obviously highere2
- Comparator
- FMW3e2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e2“while WUEleaf (Pn/Tr) of FMW2 obviously higher than that of FMW3”
Claim · model-written summary
FMW2 achieved the highest water productivity (WP) of 12.2 kg ha−1 mm−1 over three growing seasons.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e3“As a result, FMW2 achieved the highest WP of 12.2 kg ha−1 mm−1 over the three growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
FMW2 water productivity (WP) increased by 5.6% to 46.7% compared with the three-year average of the other treatments.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- FMW2e3
- Outcome
- WPe3
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 5.6% to 46.7%e0
- Comparator
- the three-year average of the other treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e3“As a result, FMW2 achieved the highest WP of 12.2 kg ha−1 mm−1 over the three growing seasons”
e0“compared to the three-year average of the other treatments, the increase ranges from 5.6% to 46.7%”
Claim · model-written summary
FMW2 achieved a beneficial balance between soybean seed production and WP by regulating leaf functional parameters.
- Taxon
- soybeansGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- FMW2 treatmente0
- Outcome
- beneficial balance between soybean seed production and WPe0
- Qualifier
- by regulating leaf functional parameterse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves”
e0“the FMW2 treatment optimized water distribution to meet the water demands of soybeans during the reproductive growth stages, achieving a beneficial balance between soybean seed production and WP by regulating leaf functional parameters”
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