The Effects of Continuous Mulching with Plastic Films of Different Thicknesses on Soil Physical Properties and Growth of Maize

TANG Wenxue; MA Zhongming; WEI Tao

doi:10.13522/j.cnki.ggps.2017.12.007

Abstract：A three-year field experiment was conducted at Hexi Oasis Irrigation Area, Gansu Province in at-tempts to understand how different thicknesses of mulch films could affect soil physical properties and conse-quently maize yields. The results showed that in 0~40 cm, both soil compactness and bulk density decreased with the increase in the film thickness.Compared with control(CK,with film thickness of 0.008 mm),the soil bulk density under mulch with film thickness of 0.006 mm,0.010 mm and 0.012 mm reduced by-0.76%,1.25% and 2.43%,respectively.In the seedling and jointing stage,when the film thickness was less than 0.008 mm,the section of maize root number,root dry weight,above-ground dry weight,plant height and leaf area were signifi-cantly smaller than those under CK.When the film thickness was more than 0.008 mm,with the increase in the film thickness,the section of maize root number,root dry weight,above-ground dry weight,plant height and leaf area showed an increase,but were not significantly different from those under the CK.While,as the maize grew, the effect of the film thickness on plant height and leaf area reduced,the impact on aboveground dry wright was still significant. The results also showed that the maize yield increased with the increase in the film thickness when the film thickness was from 0.006 mm to 0.012 mm over the three-year period.Compared to CK,the aver-age annual yield mulched with 0.006 mm film reduced by 7.48%,while for mulches with 0.010 mm and 0.012 mm films, the average annual yield increased by 1.18% and 3.26% respectively. Based on the results for soil properties and maize growth, the recommended plastic film thickness for mulching in this region is more than 0.008 mm.