Effects of rainfall harvesting and mulching technologies on water use efficiency and crop yield in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China

In semi-arid areas, crop growth is greatly limited by water. Amount of available water in soil can be increased by surface mulching and other soil management practices. Field experiments were conducted in 2005 and 2006 at Gaolan, Gansu, China, to determine the influence of ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting system (RFRHS), surface mulching and supplementary irrigation (SI) in various combinations on rainwater harvesting, amount of moisture in soil, water use efficiency (WUE), biomass yield of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolour L.) and seed yield of maize (Zea mays L.). In conventional fields without RFRHS, gravel-sand mulching produced higher biomass yield than plastic-mulching or straw-mulching. In plastic-mulched fields, an increasing amount of supplemental irrigation was needed to improve crop yield. There was no effect of RFRHS without plastic-covered ridge on rainwater harvesting when natural precipitation was less than 5 mm per event. This was due to little runoff of rainwater from frequent low precipitation showers, and most of the harvested rainwater gathered at the soil surface is lost to evaporation. In the RFRHS, crop yield and WUE were higher with plastic-covered ridges than bare ridges, and also higher with gravel-sand-mulched furrows than bare furrows in most cases, or straw-mulched furrows in some cases. This was most likely due to decreased evaporation with plastic or gravel-sand mulch. In the RFRHS with plastic-covered ridges and gravel-sand-mulched furrows, application of 30 mm supplemental irrigation produced the highest yield and WUE for sweet sorghum and maize in most cases. In conclusion, the findings suggested the integrated use of RFRHS, mulching and supplementary irrigation to improve rainwater availability for high sustainable crop yield. However, the high additional costs of supplemental irrigation and construction of RFRHS for rainwater harvesting need to be considered before using these practices on a commercial scale.     

Rainfall concentration for increasing corn production under semiarid climate

The ridge and furrow farming of rainfall concentration (RC) system is being promoted to increase water availability to crops for improving and stabilizing agricultural production in the semiarid Loess region of northwest China. In the system, plastic-covered ridges serve as rainfall harvesting zones and furrows serve as planting zones. In recent years, however, the current RC practices are still confined to rural family units for very limited supplemental irrigation purposes. To adopt this system for large-scale use in the semiarid region and bring it into full play, it is necessary to test the befitting rainfall range for RC farming. A field study (using corn as an indicator crop) combined with rainfall simulation was designed to determine the effects of RC practices on soil water content, crop yield and water use efficiency (WUE) under three rainfall levels (230 mm, 340 mm and 440 mm) during the growing seasons of 2006 and 2007. The results indicated that with the rainfalls ranging within 230-440 mm, RC system can increase soil water content in 0-100 cm and temperature conditions in the topsoil (0-10 cm) in furrows by 5-12% and 0.7-1 °C, respectively. The corn seedlings emerged 1-2 days earlier, the developmental stages generally occurred earlier, and the plant height and total dry matter all significantly increased (P < 0.05). In 2006, compared to conventional flat (CF) practice, the grain yield and WUE in the RC system increased by 75.4% and 73.3%, respectively at 230 mm rainfall, and by 36.7% and 40.2%, respectively at 340 mm rainfall, but there was no significant difference between the RC₄₄₀ and CF₄₄₀ patterns. In 2007, the grain yield and WUE were 82.8% and 77.4%, respectively higher in the RC₂₃₀ plots than in the CF₂₃₀ plots, 43.4% and 43.1%, respectively higher in the RC₃₄₀ plots than in the CF₃₄₀ plots, and 11.2% and 9.5%, respectively higher in the RC₄₄₀ plots than in the CF₄₄₀ plots. Combining yield and WUE, it could be concluded that the optimal rainfall upper limit for RC system is below 440 mm rainfall in the experiment. In the case of corn, the adoption of RC practice in the 230-440-mm rainfall area will make the system more attractive during the whole growth period and offer a sound opportunity for sustainable farming under semiarid climate.     

Comparison of soil water content and corn yield in furrow and conventional ridge sown systems in a semiarid region of China

Water deficits and unusually warm soil temperatures can adversely affect conventional ridge sown systems. Increasingly serious water and temperature issues associated with global climate change may be problematic in the future, particularly in semiarid regions. This study explored the soil water and crop yield benefits of switching the sowing location of corn from ridges to furrows. Experiments were conducted over three years. Corn was grown in shallow furrow (SF) and deep furrow (DF) sown treatments until the V8 stage (eight visible leaf collars). New ridges were then built over the existing furrows. Grain yield was found to be higher in the SF and DF sown treatments than in a conventional ridge sown treatment (CR), especially in drought years. Switching sowing position from ridge to furrow could increase corn yield, directly, by improving soil moisture early in the growing season and, indirectly, by stimulating the growth of resource-capturing organs (e.g., leaves and roots). This simple and efficient approach to crop production in semiarid climates may be practical for the management of numerous agricultural systems, particularly those that are resource-limited, with greater vulnerability to the effects of global climate change.     

Effects of different ridge:furrow ratios and supplemental irrigation on crop production in ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting system with mulches

The ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting (RFRH) system with mulches is being promoted to increase water availability for crops for higher and stable agricultural production in many areas of the Loess Plateau in northwest China. In the system, plastic-covered ridges serve as rainfall-harvesting zones and stone-, straw- or film-mulched furrows serve as planting zones. To adopt this system more effectively, a field study (using corn as an indicator crop) was conducted to determine the effects of different ridge:furrow ratios and supplemental irrigation on crop yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in the RFRH system with mulches during the growing seasons of 1998 and 1999.The results indicated that the ridge:furrow ratios had a significant effect on crop yield and yield components. The 120:60 cm ridge and furrow (120 cm wide ridge and 60 cm wide furrow) system increased yield by 27.9%, seed weight per head by 14.8%, seed number per head by 7.4% and 1000-seed weight by 4.7%, compared with the 60:60 cm ridge and furrow (60 cm wide ridge and 60 cm wide furrow) system. No differences in WUE were found between the two ratio systems. For corn and winter wheat, the optimum ridge:furrow ratio seems to be 1:1 in the 300-mm rainfall area, 1:2 in the 400-mm rainfall area and 1:4 in the 500-mm rainfall area. The optimum ridge:furrow ratio seems to be 1:3 for millet in the 300-mm rainfall area, although it is unnecessary to adopt RFRH practice in regions with more than 400 mm rainfall. The most effective ridge size for crop production seems 60 cm in the Loess Plateau. Implementing supplemental irrigation in the RFRH system is also a useful way to deal with the temporal problem of moisture deficits. In the case of corn, supplemental irrigation at its critical growth stage can increase both grain yield and WUE by 20%. The combination of in situ RFRH system with supplemental irrigation practice will make the RFRH system more attractive.     

Effects of gravel-sand mulch, plastic mulch and ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting system combinations on water use efficiency, soil temperature and watermelon yield in a semi-arid Loess Plateau of northwestern China

In the northwestern Loess Plateau of China, low precipitation results in poor crop yields, with a great fluctuation from year to year. The adoption of gravel-sand mulching has shown improvements in the growth of crops such as watermelon. The ridge and furrow rainwater harvest system (RFRHS) has been shown as an easy and efficient way to collect rainwater. A field experiment was conducted from 2007 to 2009 at Gaolan, Lanzhou, Gansu, China, to measure the effects of RFRHS, plastic mulch and gravel-sand mulch combinations on soil temperature, evapotranspiration (ET), water use efficiency (WUE) and watermelon yield. There were eight treatments: (1) flat gravel-sand mulched field, (2) RFRHS with a sand mulched furrow, entire plastic mulch and the ratio 1:1 of ridge and furrow, (3) RFRHS with a sand mulched furrow, entire plastic mulch and the ratio 4:3 of ridge and furrow, (4) RFRHS with a sand mulched furrow, entire plastic mulch and the ratio 5:3 of ridge and furrow, (5) RFRHS with a sand and plastic mulched furrow, bare ridge and the ratio 4:3 of ridge and furrow, (6) RFRHS with an entire plastic mulch and the ratio 4:3 of ridge and furrow, (7) conventional ridge planting with a plastic mulched ridge, and (8) flat gravel-sand mulched field plus 23 mm supplementary irrigation. Soil temperature for RFRHS with a gravel-sand plus plastic mulched furrow was slightly lower than that of flat gravel-sand mulch. The RFRHS caused a significant increase in watermelon yield and WUE. The increase in watermelon yield and WUE was greatly influenced by the ratio of ridge and furrow when RFRHS was combined with gravel-sand mulch. Watermelon yield was highest for the 1:1 ratio, and WUE was highest for the 5:3 and 1:1 ratios of ridge:furrow, and these were significantly greater than that of flat gravel-sand mulch, without or with irrigation. The use of ridge with plastic film mulch increased the beneficial effect of RFRHS on yield. The watermelon yield and WUE for non-plastic-mulched ridge were even lower than that of flat gravel-sand mulch. In summary, the findings suggest that RFRHS with gravel-sand mulched furrow plus plastic film mulch, and 1:1 ratio of ridge:furrow, would facilitate the use of limited rainfall most efficiently in improving watermelon yield, by reducing ET and increasing WUE in this semiarid region.     

垄作沟灌土壤水盐分布及作物产量试验研究

对垄作沟灌土壤水盐分布及作物产量进行了田间试验.结果表明,灌水定额为400 m³/hm²时,沟底土壤水分的垂直运动明显增大.当灌水定额增加100 m³/hm²时,土壤水分水平运动高于垂直运动.沟底土壤全盐量受灌水定额影响明显:在灌水阶段,沟底表层土壤发生脱盐现象.土壤蒸发阶段,土壤发生积盐现象.垄顶土壤含盐量相对稳定,基本不发生向下运移.重度水分亏缺(处理T1,灌溉定额为1 700 m³/hm²)垄、沟积盐量分别为1.49,1.35 kg/m²,中度水分亏缺(处理T2,灌溉定额为2 100 m³/hm²)垄沟积盐量分别为1.42,1.12 kg/m²,充分灌水(处理T3,灌溉定额为2 500 m³/hm²)垄、沟积盐量分别为1.32,0.83 kg/m²,畦灌措施使0~100 cm土壤发生脱盐现象,脱盐量为1.29 kg/m².垄作沟灌下,制种玉米产量为2 765.1~4 619.5 kg/hm²,WUE为0.755~0.969 kg/m³.穗长(L_s)、穗粗(d_s)、行粒数(N_R)与作物产量呈显著正相关关系.     

玉米生产机械化沟垄全覆膜高速穴播技术应用与推广

近年来,甘肃在推广玉米沟垄全覆膜高速穴播集成技术中,总结出了其技术路线、作业质量标准及操作规程。该技术可减少机具在大田里作业次数,节约油耗、省工省时,降低劳动强度和作业成本,给农民带来增产增收的效果,同时能提高机械化作业水平及生产效率。     

不同沟垄覆盖下土壤水热效应对旱作马铃薯生长及产量的影响

针对宁南山区春季降雨少、低温不利于马铃薯出苗,而作物生育中后期高温胁迫限制马铃薯块茎形成导致减产等问题,于2016年设置垄覆地膜沟内覆盖塑料地膜(DM)、玉米秸秆(JG)、生物降解膜(SM)、麻纤维地膜(MM)、液态地膜(YM)及沟不覆盖(BM),以传统平作为对照(CK),研究沟垄覆盖模式对土壤温度、土壤水分、旱作马铃薯生长及块茎产量的影响.结果表明:处理DM,SM,MM和YM马铃薯生育期耕层土壤温度表现出增温效应,而处理JG和BM表现为降温效应,其中处理DM增温效果和处理JG降温效果最佳.处理YM,JG对马铃薯生长前期保水效果较好,分别较CK显著提高13.3%,27.0%,而处理JG,DM对生育中后期的保墒效果较佳,分别较CK显著提高22.4%,13.2%.处理JG可显著促进马铃薯生长,其增产效果最为显著,DM次之,分别较CK增产47.8%,44.8%,其他处理较CK差异不具有统计学意义.可见,在宁南山区实施垄覆地膜沟覆秸秆模式可调控土壤水热环境,对旱作马铃薯生长及增产效果最佳.     

Economic analysis of rainwater harvesting and irrigation methods, with an example from China

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the economic feasibility of agriculture with rainwater harvesting and supplemental irrigation in a semiarid region. The results show the importance of making full use of every open-air hardened surface to collect rainwater and to establish rainwater catchment areas by utilizing unoccupied land. The results also show that the usefulness of the harvested rainwater is enhanced when water saving and prevent seepage techniques are employed. The results indicate that in order to maximize investment it is essential to select crops with a water requirement process that coincides with local rainfall events. Potato was found to be the most suitable crop in the studied region. The economic indices for potato were superior to spring wheat, corn and wheat/corn intercropping. Therefore, potato production using rainwater harvesting and supplemental irrigation is the best alternative for cropping systems in the semiarid region of Gansu, China.     

A package of water management practices for sustainable growth and improved production of vegetable crop in labour and water scarce Sub-Saharan Africa

A package of water management practices including pitcher irrigation method and water conserving techniques of manure application and mulching is experimented for sustainable growth and improved production of cucumber crop in Makanya village in North Eastern Tanzania. The increase in total yield due to package of water management practices is 203 per cent and water use efficiency obtained is 12.06 kg m⁻³. The seasonal water requirement of cucumber crop under package of water management practices ranges from 146.30 to 198.10 mm, which is on an average 4.19 times less as compared to control treatment of can irrigation. The irrigation interval in package of water management practices is 4.9 times higher than the can irrigation method. The water and labour uses are reduced by 75.9 and 73 per cent, respectively in package of water management practices. The results showed that the self-regulative nature of pitchers and moisture retention by water conserving techniques is helpful in mitigating water stress in crop root zone. The moisture retention period in soil is increased assisting reduction of labour hours required in irrigation. In local context, the water management practices included in the package are easy to understand, adopt, operate and maintain.