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Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2022, Vol. 14 Issue (8): 894-909    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-022-0026-8
Research article     
Effects of mulch and planting methods on Medicago ruthenica seed yield and soil physical-chemical properties
WANG Yuxia, ZHANG Jing, YU Xiaojun()
College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
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Abstract  

Medicago ruthenica (L.) Trautv., a wild grass species, is commonly grown as a forage crop in arid and semi-arid areas of China. Herein, we explored mulch patterns and planting methods for optimizing M. ruthenica seed production in the loess plateau of the Gansu Province, China from 2017 to 2019. The experiments comprised of six treatments including (1) flat ground without mulch (F0, control); (2) flat ground with a transparent white 0.008 mm thick plastic film mulch (FP); (3) flat ground with 4500 kg/hm2 straw mulch (FS); (4) furrow with 10 cm ridges (R0); (5) furrow with plastic film mulch (RP); and (6) furrow with straw mulch (RS). Results showed that the harvested seed yield of M. ruthenica was the highest under RP treatment, followed by FP and FS treatments. Soil moisture content from mid-May to mid-August in 2017 was the highest under RP and FP treatments, followed by RS and FS treatments. In 2018, soil moisture content was the highest under RS and FS treatments. In 2017 and 2018, soil temperature was the highest under FP and RP treatments, followed by F0 and R0 treatments. Total and available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents were the highest under RS and FS treatments, followed by RP and FP treatments. Comprehensive analysis result showed that surface mulch improved soil microenvironment and increased seed yield of M. ruthenica. Straw mulch also effectively recycled excess crop straw, thereby encouraging the sustainable development of agriculture in this area. In conclusion, FS treatment was considered the best mode for M. ruthenica seed production in this area.

Key words： arid area      plastic film      straw mulch      soil moisture content      soil temperature      soil chemistry     
Received: 06 May 2022      Published: 30 August 2022
Corresponding Authors: * YU Xiaojun (E-mail: yuxj@gsau.edu.cn)
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WANG Yuxia
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WANG Yuxia, ZHANG Jing, YU Xiaojun. Effects of mulch and planting methods on Medicago ruthenica seed yield and soil physical-chemical properties. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(8): 894-909.

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http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-022-0026-8     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2022/V14/I8/894

Fig. 1 Monthly temperature and precipitation in the study area from 2017 to 2019
Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of M. ruthenica planting under different mulch treatments. Gray straight line refers to the transparent plastic film, and dotted line refers to the surface straw cover. R0, furrow with 10 cm ridge; RP, furrow with plastic film mulch; RS, furrow with straw mulch; F0, flat ground without mulch; FP, flat ground with a transparent white 0.008 mm thick plastic film mulch; FS, flat ground with 4500 kg/hm2 straw mulch. The abbreviations are the same as the following figures.
Fig. 3 Effects of mulch and planting methods of M. ruthenica on performance (a) and actual seed yields (b) from 2017 to 2019. Different uppercase letters within the same treatment indicate significant differences among different years at P<0.05 level; Different lowercase letters within the same year indicate significant differences among different treatments at P<0.05 level.
Fig. 4 Effects of mulch and planting methods of M. ruthenica on soil moisture content in 2017 and 2018. Different lowercase letters within same soil depth indicate significant differences among different treatments at P<0.05 level. (a), May 2017; (b), June 2017; (c), July 2017; (d), August 2017; (e), September 2017; (f), June 2018; (g), July 2018; (h), August 2018.
Fig. 5 Effects of mulch and planting methods of M. ruthenica on soil temperature in 2017 (a-e) and 2018 (f-h)
Fig. 6 Effects of mulch and planting methods of M. ruthenica on soil bulk density (a and b), porosity (c and d), and compactness (e and f) in 2018 and 2019
Fig. 7 Effects of mulch and planting methods of M. ruthenica on soil organic matter (a and b), total nitrogen (c and d), and available nitrogen (e and f) in 2018 and 2019. Different lowercase letters within the same soil depth indicate significant differences among different treatments at P<0.05 level.
Fig. 8 Effects of mulch and planting methods of M. ruthenica on soil total phosphorous (a and b), available phosphorus (c and d), total potassium (e and f), and available potassium (g and h) in 2018 and 2019. Different lowercase letters within the same soil depth indicate significant differences among different treatments at P<0.05 level.
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