Abstract:Two-year (2012—2014) field experiment was conducted to promote rainfall utilization efficiency and reduce agricultural pollution caused by plastic film in arid and semi-arid regions of China. A total of five treatments (CK: traditional flat planting with no mulching;M1: ridge-furrow planting with plastic film mulching over ridge;M2: ridge-furrow planting with plastic film mulching over ridge till jointing stage;M3: ridge-furrow planting with biodegradable film mulching over ridge;M4: ridge-furrow planting with liquid film mulching over ridge) were chosen to investigate the effects of different mulching patterns on farmland soil environment, including soil moisture, soil temperature and soil nutrient. In addition, accumulation of shoot dry mass, growth progress, yield, water use efficiency and partial fertilizer productivity of winter wheat were compared among treatments. The results showed that plastic film mulching (M1), biodegradable film mulching (M3) and plastic film mulching till jointing stage (M2) had significant effects on soil conservation, however, liquid film mulching (M4) was inferior in moisture keeping than those of M1, M2 and M3 treatments. Soil nutrient content was decreased after two experimental years in all treatments. Taking soil organic matter content for example, M2 and M3 had higher soil organic matter contents than those of the other treatments and M1 got the lowest soil organic matter content of the five treatments. This meant that mulching with plastic film for a long time would result in rapid decomposition of soil organic matter. Compared with CK, the mulching treatments could remarkably increase soil temperature at early and middle periods, consequently accelerated seedling rate, jointing rate and the accumulation of shoot dry mass, and thus promoted yield, water use efficiency and partial fertilizer productivity of winter wheat. Among the four mulching treatments, M2 and M3 could increase wheat yield, water use efficiency and partial fertilizer productivity to a great extent. Compared with CK, M2 and M3 averagely increased yield by 25.93% and 25.24%, increased water use efficiency by 27.86% and 27.44% and increased partial fertilizer productivity by 25.94% and 25.23% in two years, respectively. And there was no significant difference between them. In conclusion, M2 and M3 were appropriate mulching patterns with less agricultural pollution for winter wheat cultivation in Guanzhong Region, Shaanxi Province.
