行距比例及密度对绿洲灌区玉米水分利用效率的互作效应

探究是否可以将行距比例和种植密度集成于同一作物生产系统中来提高作物产量,增加水分利用效率。以玉米"五谷568"为研究材料,于2017—2018年进行大田试验,设7∶3(L_1,宽行56 cm∶窄行24 cm),6∶4 (L_2,宽行48 cm∶窄行32 cm),5∶5(L_3,等行距40 cm) 3个行距比例水平,82 500株/hm~2(D_1)、90 000株/hm~2(D_2)、97 500株/hm~2(D_3)、105 000株/hm~2(D_4)、112 500株/hm~2(D_5) 5个种植密度,探讨不同行距比例及密度处理对玉米的耗水特征、产量及水分利用效率的影响。结果表明,L1行距比例可有效降低玉米耗水量,但会增加棵间蒸发,对E/ET影响不显著,其中2017年L_1较L_3能有效降低耗水量11.9%,2018年无显著差异;此外与传统行距比例相比,L_1行距比例具有增产优势,玉米增产5.2%～10.5%,提高水分利用效率6.5%～8.7%。密度间比较,D_3密度较传统密度D_1能有效降低耗水量、棵间蒸发量以及E/ET,对玉米增产及水分利用效率的提高有促进作用;其中D_3密度较传统密度D_1耗水量降低13.3%,2018年差异不显著;棵间蒸发量减小7.1%～7.2%;E/ET减小6.8%～19.2%;玉米增产7.5%～17.1%;水分利用效率提高23.9%～46.2%。2年L_1D_3较传统处理L_3D_1耗水量降低12.8%～30.6%;棵间蒸发量降低8.5%～10.4%;E/ET降低7.3%～7.5%;玉米产量增加7.7%～25.5%;水分利用效率提高36.0%～41.2%。因此,在河西绿洲灌区,7∶3(L_1,宽行56 cm∶窄行24 cm)行距比例结合97 500株/hm~2(D_3)种植密度可有效增加玉米产量,提高玉米水分利用效率。     

Evolution of soil and water conservation in rain-fed areas of China

Rain-fed (dryland) farming is an ancient agricultural production system in China. It occurs widely across almost the whole country, especially in the Northwest and North China. The semi-arid Loess Plateau is the most important region of rain-fed farming in China, but unfortunately, soil erosion on the Loess Plateau area is the highest in China, and indeed amongst the highest in the world. This highlights the necessity for developing practices that can reduce soil and water erosion, improve soil water use efficiency, improve crop productivity, and reduce rural poverty in the region. Many techniques of soil and water conservation are being used in rain-fed areas of China, including such systems as mulch, ridge and furrow systems. The Appendix describes a unique system of soil and water conservation, called Shatian.Modern research on conservation tillage (No Till), although essential for reducing erosion, increasing crop productivity, and ameliorating poverty, is just beginning in China. Modern conservation tillage research started in the1990s' with support from Australia and other countries. The procedures, however, were modified to be in accord with local conditions and prevailing farmer experiences. With 10 years of experimentation, results show that the most successful conservation practice on the Western Loess Plateau is no till with stubble retention. This technique helps to conserve soil water, increases soil organic carbon, improves soil structure and water infiltration, reduces soil and water erosion, and improves crop productivity and sustainability of rain-fed farming systems. However, its adoption rate remains low due to barriers such as traditional attitude, insufficient rural extension, and so forth.     

Yield performance of spring wheat improved by regulated deficit irrigation in an arid area

A field experiment was conducted in 2003 and 2004 growing seasons to evaluate the effects of regulated deficit irrigation on yield performance in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) in an arid area. Three regulated deficit irrigation treatments designed to subject the crops to various degrees of soil water deficit at different stages of crop development and a no-soil-water-deficit control was established. Soil moisture was measured gravimetrically in the increment of 0–20 cm every five to seven days in the given growth periods, while that in 20 increments to 40, 40–60, 60–80, and 80–100 cm depth measured by neutron probe. Compared to the no-soil-water-deficit treatment, grain yield, biomass, harvest index, water use efficiency (WUE), and water supply use efficiency (WsUE) in spring wheat were all greatly improved by 16.6–25.0, 12.4–19.2, 23.5–27.3, 32.7–39.9, and 44.6–58.8% under regulated deficit irrigation, and better yield components such as thousand-grain weight, grain weight per spike, number of grain, length of spike, and fertile spikelet number were also obtained, but irrigation water was substantially decreased by 14.0–22.9%. The patterns of soil moisture were similar in the regulated deficit treatments, and the soil moisture contents were greatly decreased by regulated deficit irrigation during wheat growing seasons. Significant differences were found between the no-soil-water-deficit treatment and the regulated soil water deficit treatments in grain yield, yield components, biomass, harvest index, WUE, and WsUE, but no significant differences occurred within the regulated soil water deficit treatments. Yield performance proved that regulated deficit irrigation treatment subjected to medium soil water deficit both during the middle vegetative stage (jointing) and the late reproductive stages (filling and maturity or filling) while subjected to no-soil-water-deficit both during the late vegetative stage (booting) and the early reproductive stage (heading) (MNNM) had the highest yield increase of 25.0 and 14.0% of significant water-saving, therefore, the optimum controlled soil water deficit levels in this study should range 50–60% of field water capacity (FWC) at the middle vegetative growth period (jointing), and 65–70% of FWC at both of the late vegetative period (booting) and early reproductive period (heading) followed by 50–60% of FWC at the late reproductive periods (the end of filling or filling and maturity) in treatment MNNM, with the corresponding optimum total irrigation water of 338 mm. In addition, the relationships among grain yield, biomass, and harvest index, the relationship between grain yield and WUE, WsUE, and the relationship between harvest index and WUE, WsUE under regulated deficit irrigation were also estimated through linear or non-linear regression models, which indicate that the highest grain yield was associated with the maximum biomass, harvest index, and water supply use efficiency, but not with the highest water use efficiency, which was reached by appropriate controlling soil moisture content and water consumption. The relations also indicate that the harvest index was associated with the maximum biomass and water supply use efficiency, but not with the highest water use efficiency.     

Effects of different soil conservation tillage approaches on soil nutrients,water use and wheat-maize yield in rainfed dry-land regions of North China

Excessive tillage compromises soil quality by causing severe water shortages that can lead to crop failure. Reports on the effects of conservation tillage on major soil nutrients, water use efficiency and gain yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) in rainfed regions in the North China Plain are relatively scarce. In this work, four tillage approaches were tested from 2004 to 2012 in a randomized study performed in triplicate: one conventional tillage and three conservation tillage experiments with straw mulching (no tillage during wheat and maize seasons, subsoiling during the maize season but no tillage during the wheat season, and ridge planting during both wheat and maize seasons). Compared with conventional tillage, by 2012, eight years of conservation tillage treatments (no tillage, subsoiling and ridge planting) resulted in a significant increase in available phosphorus in topsoil (0–0.20 m), by 3.8%, 37.8% and 36.9%, respectively. Soil available potassium was also increased following conservation tillage, by 13.6%, 37.5% and 25.0%, and soil organic matter by 0.17%, 5.65% and 4.77%, while soil total nitrogen was altered by −2.33%, 4.21% and 1.74%, respectively. Meanwhile, all three conservation tillage approaches increased water use efficiency, by 19.1–28.4% (average 24.6%), 10.1–23.8% (average 15.9%) and 11.2–20.7% (average 15.7%) in wheat, maize and annual, respectively. Additionally, wheat yield was increased by 7.9–12.0% (average 10.3%), maize yield by 13.4–24.6% (average 17.4%) and rotation annual yield by 12.3–16.9% (average 14.1%). Overall, our findings demonstrate that subsoiling and ridge planting with straw mulching performed better than conventional tillage for enhancing major soil nutrients and improving grain yield and water use efficiency in rainfed regions in the North China Plain.     

Yield and water consumption characteristics of wheat/maize intercropping with reduced tillage in an Oasis region

Higher irrigation quota for conventional farming causes substantial conflicts between water supply and demand in agriculture, and wind erosion near soil surface is one of the major causes of farmland degradation and desertification in arid areas. This research investigated the effect of the amounts of irrigation in combination with tillage practices on soil evaporation (E), water consumption (ET) characteristics, and grain yield performance and water use efficiency (WUE) for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) intercropped with maize (Zea mays L.) in strip planting in an Oasis region. The field experiment, conducted at Wuwei station during 2008–2010, had two tillage systems (reduced tillage with wheat stubble retention vs. conventional tillage without stubble retention), and three (low, medium, and high) levels of irrigation, in a randomized complete block design. Averaged across three years, soil evaporation with medium and high levels of irrigation was 6.8% and 5.4% greater than that with low level of irrigation, respectively. Total water consumption of wheat/maize crops under the medium and high irrigation levels was 8.5% and 18.5% greater, respectively, than that under low irrigation. However, grain yields were similar under the medium and high levels of irrigation, so was WUE. The effect of tillage on the wheat/maize intercropping was inconsistent across years or among treatments: soil moisture at harvest was 3.0–7.6% greater in the fields with reduced tillage compared with those with conventional tillage in 2008 and 2009, but no difference was found in 2010; the E/ET ratio of reduced tillage was 9% lower than the ratio under conventional tillage in 2008, 3% higher in 2010, but no difference between the two tillage systems in 2009. Across three years, there was a general trend that the WUE of the wheat/maize intercropping system with reduced tillage was greater (by 4–11%) than that with conventional tillage. We conclude that a medium level of irrigation is sufficient to achieve crop yields and WUE equivalent to those under high level of irrigation, provided that a reduced tillage practice is applied to the wheat/maize intercropping in Oasis areas.     

不同施肥量对甜荞主要产量指标的影响

通过对定西地区甜荞不同施肥量下株高、分枝数、产量、降水利用效率等指标的综合比较认为,最佳的施肥量为:施纯N22.5kg/hm2、P2O530.46kg/hm2、K2O65.48kg/hm2,其对应株高73.4cm,分枝数4.4个,产量896.18kg/hm2,降水利用效率5.38kg/(hm2·mm)。     

The effect of plastic mulch on the fate of urea-N in rain-fed maize production in a semiarid environment as assessed by 15N-labeling

A better understanding of the fate of fertilizer nitrogen (N) is critical to design appropriate N management strategies in plastic-mulched croplands. We evaluated the effects of plastic mulch on urea-N recovery by crops and loss from soil in furrow-ridge plots, with and without maize (Zea mays L.) cropping, in a semi-arid rain-fed site in China. We applied the same rate of urea-N (281 kg ha⁻¹) to all treatments during the preparation of the furrow-ridges in 2011 and 2012 but ¹⁵N-labeled the urea in 2011 only. We used transparent film to cover all soil surfaces in the mulched treatments and seeded maize in furrows in treatments with crop. In 2011, plastic mulch increased the total N uptake in the aboveground biomass of maize by 53%, whereas it decreased the in-season labeled-N uptake by 19%, compared to non-mulched treatment. At harvest in 2011, in mulched treatments the total labeled-N remaining in the 0−170 cm soil layer was 25% greater whereas unaccounted labeled-N was 69% less, than in non-mulched treatments, regardless of whether maize was cropped. In 2012 the effect of mulch on total maize N uptake was comparable to that in 2011, but the residual soil labeled-N uptake by maize was 63% higher in mulched compared to non-mulched treatment. At harvest in 2012, plastic mulch increased total labeled-N remaining in the 0−170 cm depth in cropped soils and unaccounted labeled-N in non-cropped soils, compared with no mulch. Our results indicate that plastic mulch profoundly changes the fate of urea-N in maize production in cold and dry croplands.     

秸秆还田后少耕对小麦/玉米间作系统中种间竞争和互补的影响

保护性耕作具有提高作物水分利用效率、减少能耗等优点,但能否将该技术集成应用于间作套种,尚需理论研究和具体实验依据。本研究通过2011至2012年度的田间定位试验,探讨不同耕作和秸秆还田方式对小麦间作玉米作物群体竞争、互补作用及产量的影响。试验设3种秸秆还田处理,分别是小麦带25 cm高茬收割立茬免耕(NTSS)、小麦带25 cm高茬等量秸秆覆盖免耕(NTS)及小麦带高茬等量秸秆还田翻压(TIS),以传统耕作(CT)为对照。秸秆还田后少耕间作的土地当量比高于传统耕作间作,且大于1,说明少耕小麦秸秆还田有利于提高间作优势;少耕秸秆还田降低了共生期小麦相对于玉米的竞争力,以NTS处理对小麦竞争力的影响最大,NTSS、NTS和TIS的小麦全生育期相对竞争力分别降低37%~54%、109%~141%和22%~24%。与单作玉米相比,NTSS、NTS、TIS和CT处理间作玉米的相对生长率分别高54%~59%、66%~71%、61%~63%和71%~78%,其中小麦秸秆还田间作处理中NTS更有利于发挥玉米的恢复效应。间作条件下,3种秸秆还田处理的产量较对照高6%~10%(2011年度)和4%~12%(2012年度),其中NTS增产显著。总体来看,间作群体籽粒产量与小麦相对于玉米全生育期的平均竞争力呈二次相关关系,当该竞争力在0.24~0.27时利于获得间作高产。本研究表明,秸秆还田配合少耕是调控种间竞争力的可行途径,其中小麦等量秸秆(小麦留茬25 cm)还田覆盖是优化小麦玉米竞争力的理想耕作措施。     

Ability of different plant species to promote microbiological processes in semiarid soil

In semiarid climate soils, the establishment of a plant cover is fundamental to avoid degradation and desertification processes. A better understanding of the ability of plants to promote soil microbial processes in these conditions is necessary for successful soil reclamation. Six different plant species were planted in a semiarid soil, in order to know which species are the most effective for the reclamation of semiarid areas. Six years after planting, the rhizosphere soils were studied by measuring chemical (pH, electrical conductivity, total organic carbon and other carbon fractions), physical (% of saggregates), microbiological (microbial biomass carbon and soil respiration), and biochemical (dehydrogenase, phosphatase, β-glucosidase and urease activities) parameters. In general, in all the soil–plant systems plant nutrients, organic matter and microbial activity increased compared to the control soil. For some species, such as Rhamnus lycioides, the increase in the total organic carbon content (TOC) in the rhizosphere zone was almost 200%. A positive correlation was found between TOC and water-soluble carbon (p<0.001); both parameters were negatively correlated with electrical conductivity. Microbial biomass carbon and soil respiration were highest in the rhizosphere of Stipa tenacissima (98% and 60%, respectively, of increase on soil control values) and Rosmarinus officinalis (94% and 51%, respectively, of increase on soil control values). These microbiological parameters were correlated with the percentage of stable aggregates (p<0.01). Enzyme activities were affected by the rhizosphere, their values depending on the shrub species.     

箭筈豌豆、玉米产量对间作和施氮水平的响应

研究不同施氮水平下箭筈豌豆、玉米产量对单作和间作的响应,对于优化栽培措施、提高作物产量具有重要意义。本试验于2017年在甘肃河西绿洲灌溉区进行,重点研究是不同施氮水平下箭筈豌豆、玉米在单作及间作模式中干物质累积、产量构成、产量表现。结果表明,间作箭筈豌豆干物质累积量与单作相比在不施氮(N0)、减量施氮(N1)和常规施氮(N2)处理下分别提高44.0%、36.7%和37.2%;施氮水平间,间作模式下N1比N2和N0提高9.1%和25.5%,单作模式下提高9.4%和32.1%。间作玉米干物质累积量与单作相比在N0、N1和N2处理下分别提高23.3%、22.5%和23.0%;施氮水平间,间作模式下N1比N2和N0提高9.3%和19.8%,单作模式下提高9.9%和20.7%。间作模式下箭筈豌豆豆荚数和玉米穗数较相应单作分别增加7.6%和14.5%,两者的产量较单作分别提高34.9%和27.0%。由通径分析可知,箭筈豌豆产量决定次序是豆荚数>粒重>单荚粒数,玉米产量决定次序是穗数>粒重>穗粒数。间作结合施氮量240 kg/hm²能获得较高干物质积累量和产量,是河西灌溉区玉米间作箭筈豌豆适宜的施氮水平。