Can soil organic carbon sequestration and the carbon management index be improved by changing the film mulching methods in the semiarid region?

Plastic film mulching has been widely used to increase maize yield in the semiarid area of China.However, whether long-term plastic film mulching is conducive to agricultural sustainability in this region remains controversial.A field experiment was initiated in 2013 with five different film mulching methods:(i) control method, flat planting without mulching (CK),(ii) flat planting with half film mulching (P),(iii) film mulching on ridges and planting in narrow furrows(S),(iv) full film mulching on double ridges (D), and (v) film mulching on ridges and planting in wide furrows (R).The effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) content, storage, and fractions, and on the carbon management index (CMI)were evaluated after nine consecutive years of plastic film mulching.The results showed that long-term plastic film mulching generally maintained the initial SOC level.Compared with no mulching, plastic film mulching increased the average crop yield, biomass yield, and root biomass by 48.38, 35.06, and 37.32%, respectively, which led to the improvement of SOC sequestration.Specifically, plastic film mulching significantly improved CMI, and increased the SOC content by 13.59%, SOC storage by 7.47%and easily oxidizable organic carbon (EOC) by 13.78%on average,but it reduced the other labile fractions.SOC sequestration and CMI were improved by refining the plastic film mulching methods.The S treatment had the best effect among the four mulching methods, so it can be used as a reasonable film mulching method for sustainable agricultural development in the semiarid area.

Better tillage selection before ridge–furrow film mulch can facilitate root proliferation, and increase nitrogen accumulation,translocation and grain yield of maize in a semiarid area

Plastic film mulch systems are used widely in arid areas, and the associated tillage measures affect soil properties, root and crop growth, and nutrient uptake. However, much debate surrounds the most suitable tillage method for plastic film mulch systems. We conducted a two-year field experiment to explore the impact of three tillage treatments-rotary tillage before ridge–furrow plastic film mulch(MR), no-tillage before ridge–furrow plastic film mulch(MZ), and plow tillage before ridge–furrow plastic film mulch(MP)-on soil total nitrogen, available nitrogen, root stratification structure,nitrogen transfer and utilization, and maize yield. The results showed that MP had better soil quality than either MR or MZ over 2019 and 2020, with higher nitrate-nitrogen and total nitrogen in the 0–40 cm soil layer. MP improved the soil physicochemical properties more than the other treatments, producing significantly higher root numbers and root biomass for the aerial and underground nodal roots than MR and MZ. At harvest, MP had the highest root biomass density,root length density, and root surface area density in the different soil layers(0–20, 20–40, and 0–40 cm). Significant correlations occurred between root biomass and aboveground nitrogen accumulation during maize growth. During grain filling, MP had the greatest nitrogen transfer amount, significantly increasing root and aboveground nitrogen transfer by 19.63–45.82% and 11.15–24.56%, respectively, relative to the other treatments. MP significantly produced 1.36–26.73%higher grain yields and a higher grain crude protein content at harvest than MR and MZ. MP also had higher values for the nitrogen harvest index, nitrogen uptake efficiency, and partial factor productivity of nitrogen fertilizer than MR and MZ.In conclusion, plow tillage combined with a ridge–furrow plastic film mulch system facilitated maize root development and improved nitrogen utilization, thereby increasing maize yield more than the other treatments.

Improving maize growth and development simulation by integrating temperature compensatory effect under plastic film mulching into the AquaCrop model

Temperature compensatory effect, which quantifies the increase in cumulative air temperature from soil temperature increase caused by mulching, provides an effective method for incorporating soil temperature into crop models. In this study, compensated temperature was integrated into the AquaCrop model to investigate the capability of the compensatory effect to improve assessment of the promotion of maize growth and development by plastic film mulching(PM). A three-year experiment was conducted from2014 to 2016 with two maize varieties(spring and summer) and two mulching conditions(PM and non-mulching(NM)), and the AquaCrop model was employed to reproduce crop growth and yield responses to changes in NM, PM, and compensated PM. A marked difference in soil temperature between NM and PM was observed before 50 days after sowing(DAS) during three growing seasons. During sowing–emergence and emergence–tasseling, the increase in air temperature was proportional to the compensatory coefficient, with spring maize showing a higher compensatory temperature than summer maize. Simulation results for canopy cover(CC) were generally in good agreement with the measurements, whereas predictions of aboveground biomass and grain yield under PM indicated large underestimates from 60 DAS to the end of maturity. Simulations of spring maize biomass and yield showed general increase based on temperature compensation, accompanied by improvement in modeling accuracy, with RMSEs decreasing from 2.5 to 1.6 t ha^(-1)and from 4.1 t to 3.4 t ha^(-1). Improvement in biomass and yield simulation was less pronounced for summer than for spring maize, implying that crops grown during low-temperature periods would benefit more from the compensatory effect. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the temperature compensatory effect to improve the performance of the AquaCrop model in simulating maize growth under PM practices.

Effects of Plastic Film Mulching on Physical Characters of Soil and Yield and Yield Components of Sweet Potato

Field experiments were carried out to study the effects of plastic film mulching on soil physical characters, including soil temperature, soil moisture content and soil bulk density, and yield and yield components of sweet potato. The results showed that plastic filming mulching increased soil temperature. Considering the soil temperature-increasing effect, the treatments ranked as black plastic film treatment 〉 white plastic film treatment 〉 control. However, with the deepening of soil layer, the warming effect of plastic film mulching was weakened. Black or white plastic film mulching was conducive to low T/R value, especially in the early growth stage of sweet potato. Plastic film mulching significantly improved the storage root yield of sweet potato. In terms of yield-improving effect, the treatments ranked as black plastic film treatment 〉 white plastic film treatment 〉 control. The storage root num- ber per plant showed a downward trend, but the weight of single storage root was increased.

Effects of Different Plastic films Mulching on Soil Temperature and Moisture, the Growth and Yield of Sugarcane

[Objective] The effects of different plastic films mulching on soil temperature and moisture, and growth and yield of sugarcane were discussed in order to provide references for using different plastic film in sugarcane pro-duction. [Method]Four kinds of plastic films viz., normal colorless transparent plastic film, milky photodegradation weeding plastic film, black plastic film and gray-black plastic film were used in sugarcane cultivation by using no film mulching as the control. Soil temperature and moisture were measured during plastic film mulching period, and sugarcane agronomic traits such as emergence rate, tillering rate, plant hight, stalk diameter and effective stalk number were investigated during growth period, the cane yield and economic benefits were calculated during harvest period. [Result] The results showed that plastic film mulching could significantly increase soil temperature and moisture. Com-pared with the control, soil temperature was increased by 0.3-0.8 ℃ in three plastic films mulching treatment except for gray-black plastic film mulching. The soil moisture of all mulching treatments was 10.1%-17.4% higher than the control. Furthermore, the seedling emergence rate, tillering rate, effective stalk number and cane yield also could be improved using plastic film mulching,which were increased by 0.8%-9.9%, 20.6%-34.9%, 5190-10980 stalks/hm^2and6.4%-14.9% as compared to the control,while plant height and stalk diameter were found to be no significant effect by plastic film mulching. The results of benefit analysis indicated that, milky photodegradation weeding film mulching had the highest economic benefit, the second were normal colorless transparent plastic film mulching and black plastic film mulching, which were 5 987.2, 1 876.5 and 1 813.5 Yuan/hm^2 higher than the control. The gray-black film mulching treatment had poor benefit.[Conclusion] The milky photodegradation weeding plastic film could be vigorously extended in sugarcane production. Normal colorless transparent plastic film and black plastic film could be ex-tended gradually as a new kind of plastic film. The grayblack film should not be used for its higher cost and more thickness.

Effects of Planting Density, Duration of Disclosing Plastic Film and Nitrogen Fertilization on the Growth Dynamics of Rapeseed under No-tillage Cultivation

[ Objective] This study was to understend the optimized combination of planting density, duration of disclosing plastic film and nitrogen fertilization under no-tillage cultivation. [ Method] Quadratic polynomial regression and saturated D-optimal design were employed to investigate the effects of planting density, duration of disclosing plastic film and nitrogen fertilization on the dynamics growth of rapeseed under no-tillage cultivation.[ Result] Within the experimental range, the growth dynamics of no-tillage cultivated rapeseed assumed a rise-fall tend. For the effects to the growth dynamics of no-tillage cultivated rapeseed, nitrogen application amount was higher than planting density and duration of disclosing plastic film. The interaction effect between planting density and duration of disclosing plastic film was higher than that between nitrogen application amount and planting density, and between nitrogen application amount and duration of disclosing plastic film. [ Conclusion] The optimized combination of these factors for dynamic growth of rapeseed under no-tillage cultivation was determined to be： planting density of per hectare 154 925 individuals, duration of disclosing plastic film of 110 d, nitrogen application amount of 315 kg/hm^2.

Effects of Water-permeability Plastic Film Mulching plus Bunch Planting on Root and Yield of Foxtail Millet

Effects of water-permeability plastic film plus bunch planting on root growth and development and yield of foxtail millet were studied by randomized block design. The results showed that water-permeability plastic film mulching plus bunch planting had a significant promoting effect on root growth and development and yield of foxtail millet. Compared with the CK, the total root length, total surface area, total root volume and number of. root tips increased by 51.30%, 47.89%, 48.39% and 41.63%, respectively. The yield increased by 48.57%, and there was significant positive correlation between root length, total surface area, total volume, number of root tips and dry matter weight of roots with yield. Developed roots are the main reason for the yield increasing effect of water-permeability plastic film mulching plus bunch planting.

Light Simplified Foxtail Millet Cultivation Technique Adopting Furrow Sowing beside Plastic Film Covering Micro-ridges

In order to solve the problem that dry-land foxtail millet production completely relies on rainwater with the characteristics of low instable yield, manual thinning and weeding, high labor intensity, and labor and time saving, Millet Research Institute of Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences integrated furrow sowing beside plastic film covering micro-ridges, simplified cultivation and mechanized production, forming the simplified foxtail millet cultivation technique adopting furrow sowing beside plastic film covering micro-ridges. This study introduced the technique points of the simplified foxtail millet cultivation technique adopting furrow sowing beside plastic film covering micro-ridges, including preparation before sowing,sowing, attached agricultural machines, field management, harvest and residual film recovery.

PCR-DGGE Analysis of Bacterial Communities Structure in Babylonia areolata Culture Systems of The Subtidal Zone and The Pond Mulched Plastic Film and Sand in Bottom

To know the bacterial communities structure in Babylonia areolata culture systems and to research and optimize the management pattem of Babylonia areola-ta culture systems of the pond mulched plastic film and sand in bottom, the bacte- rial communities in Babylonia areolata culture systems of the sub-tidal zone and the pond mulched plastic film and sand in bottom were analyzed at molecular level by adopting the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE）. The results indicated that the dominant bacterial communities in Babylonia areolata culture systems of the sub-tidal zone and the pond mulched plastic film and sand in bottom, which were built on the basis of the seawater in East-island of Zhanjiang, included Proteobac- teda Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria and Actinobacteria. The dominant bacterial groups in the above pond culture system were Garnmaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Deltaprotecbacteda, Epsilonproteobacteda, Anaerolineae, Cyanobacteria and Acti- nobacteda. The dominant bacterial communities in the subtidal zone culture system were Gammaprotecbacteda, Alphaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Anaerolineae and Cyanobacteda, and there were less Epsilonproteobacteria and Actinobacteria in the culture system. The higher diversity was detected in the above two culture sys- tems. The results of unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average （UPG- MA） showed that the bacterial communities of the sediment samples S1 and S2 in the above two culture systems were a cluster, the similarity of bacterial communities was 54.5%. The bacterial communities of seawater samples S3 and S4 in the above culture systems were in clusters, and the similarity of the bacterial communi- ties was 84.0%. The results showed that the microorganism ecological level in the Babylonia areolata culture systems of the pond mulched plastic film and sand in bottom could be similar to the sub-tidal zone culture systems through changing the pond seawater and monitoring the microbial population.

Analysis of Phthalate Esters in Air, Soil and Plants in Plastic Film Greenhouse

The phthalate esters such as DMP, DEP, DBP and DEHP in air, soil and plant samples in plastic film greenhouse were clean up with fine silica gel column and determined with HPLC. It was found that the concentrations of PEs in air and soil samples in plastic film greenhouse are much higher than those of contrast samples. But concentrations of PEs in plants in plastic film greenhouse are not remarkably affected by the pollution of air and soil.

Effects of plastic film mulching on soil greenhouse gases(CO2,CH4 and N2O) concentration within soil profiles in maize fields on the Loess Plateau,China

To better understand the effects of plastic film mulching on soil greenhouse gases（GHGs） emissions,we compared seasonal and vertical variations of GHG concentrations at seven soil depths in maize（Zea mays L.） fields at Changwu station in Shaanxi,a semi-humid region,between 2012 and 2013.Gas samples were taken simultaneously every one week from non-mulched（BP） and plastic film-mulched（FM） field plots.The results showed that the concentration of GHGs varied distinctly at the soil-atmosphere interface and in the soil profile during the maize growing season（MS）.Both carbon dioxide（CO_2） and nitrous oxide（N_2O） concentrations increased with increasement of soil depth,while the methane（CH_4）concentrations decreased with increasement of soil depth.A strong seasonal variation pattern was found for CO_2 and N_2O concentrations,as compared to an inconspicuous seasonal variation of CH_4 concentrations.The mean CO_2 and N_2O concentrations were higher,but the mean CH_4 concentration in the soil profiles was lower in the FM plots than in the BP plots.The results of this study suggested that plastic film mulching significantly increased the potential emissions of CO_2and N_2O from the soil,and promoted CH_4 absorption by the soil,particularly during the MS.

Effects of film mulching regime on soil water status and grain yield of rain-fed winter wheat on the Loess Plateau of China

Shortages and fluctuations in precipitation are influential limiting factors for the sustainable cultivation of rain-fed winter wheat on the Loess Plateau of China. Plastic film mulching is one of the most effective water management practices to improve soil moisture, and may be useful in the Loess Plateau for increasing soil water storage. A field experiment was conducted from July 2010 to June 2012 on the Loess Plateau to investigate the effects of mulching time and rates on soil water storage, evapotranspiration （ET）, water use efficiency （WUE）, and grain yield. Six treatments were conducted： （1） early mulching （starting 30 days after harvest） with whole mulching （EW）; （2） early mulching with half mulching （EH）; （3） early mulching with no mulching （EN）; （4） late mulching （starting 60 days after harvest） with whole mulching （LW）; （5） late mulching with half mulching （LH）; and （6） late mulching with no mulching （LN）. EW increased precipitation storage efficiency during the fallow periods of each season by 18.4 and 17.8%, respectively. EW improved soil water storage from 60 days after harvest to the booting stage and also outperformed LN by 13.8 and 20.9% in each growing season. EW also improved spike number per ha by 13.8 and 20.9% and grain yield by 11.7 and 17.4% during both years compared to LN. However, EW decreased WUE compared with LN. The overall results of this study demonstrated that EW could be a productive and efficient practice to improve wheat yield on the Loess Plateau of China.

Response of carbon footprint to plastic film mulch application in spring maize production and mitigation strategy

Producing more food with a lower environmental cost is one of the most crucial challenges worldwide. Plastic mulching has developed as one of the most dominant practices to improve crop yields, however its impacts on greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions during the production life cycle of a crop are still unclear. The objective of this work is to quantify the impacts of plastic film on GHG emissions and to reduce GHG emissions with innovative agronomic practices. Carbon footprint per unit of area(CFa), per unit of maize grain yield(CFy), and per unit of economic output(CFe) were evaluated for three maize cultivation systems: a no mulch system, a conventional plastic mulching system(PM) and a biennial plastic mulching pattern, namely a ’one film for 2 years’ system(PM2), during 2015–2018 in a maize field located on the Loess Plateau of China. The results suggested that PM induced a 24% improvement in maize yields during the four experimental years compared to a no-mulch treatment(NM). However, PM dramatically increased the CFa by 69%, 59% of which was created by the input of the plastic film material, and 10% was created by increases in the soil N2O emissions. The yield improvements from PM could not offset the increases in CFa, and CFy and CFe were both increased by 36%. Shifting from PM to PM2 did not reduce crop yields, but it led to a 21% reduction in CFa and 23% reductions in CFy and CFe due to the reduced input amount of plastic film, decreased soil N2O emissions, and less diesel oil used for tillage. Compared to NM, CFy and CFe were only 5% higher in PM2. This study highlights the necessity of reducing the amount of plastic film input in the development of low-carbon agriculture and shifting from conventional PM cultivation to PM2 could be an efficient option for mitigating GHG emissions while sustaining high crop yields in plastic mulched fields.

Effects of plastic mulching film-induced leaf burning on seedling growth in tobacco cultivation:Different findings beyond conservation view

Solving high-temperature plastic mulching film-induced leaf burning in the first week during tobacco cultivation would take much time and effort. In the present study, the growth as well as the leaf sugar and nicotine contents of seedlings with or without leaf burning induced by high-temperature plastic mulching film were tested at two independent sites in 2015 and 2016 to identify the influence of leaf burning on seedling growth. The results showed that the growth of seedlings with leaf burning was improved with increased leaf area, leaf number and plant height compared to those without leaf burning, combined with an increased seedling survival rate at two sites in two years. In seedlings with leaf burning, the contents of fructose and glucose increased and peaked at 11：00 and 13：00 in the leaf and root, respectively, with an increased root nicotine content beginning at 13：00, highlighting the signalling role of sugars. Activities of antioxidant enzymes including peroxidase （POD）, superoxide dismutase （SOD） and catalase （CAT） were all increased in seedlings with leaf burning. More plant biomass was allocated to roots in seedlings with leaf burning with increased root volume compared to control seedlings, which might facilitate the absorption of water and nutrients from the soil. Our findings demonstrate that high-temperature plastic mulching film-induced leaf burning not inhibited but benefited seedling survival and growth, suggesting that the time and labour-consuming manual plucking of burnt leaves can be avoided during tobacco cultivation.

The EVA plastic film for V-process and steel castings by V-process in China

EVA plastic film is the key material for V-process. Through decades of research, special EVA film for V-process has been produced. The film has adequate elongation; its maximum is about 800% in longitudinal direction and 750% in transversal direction. The single width of the film is 2.8 m and the double width is 5.6 m, which is the widest sheet film for V-process in China. Sheets with different thickness ranging from the thickest 0.35 mm to the thinnest 0.08 mm can meet different demands in China. The film can be used not only for V-process of iron castings, but also for the manganese steel railway frog, steel rocking support and side frame castings for train and the steel bridge box for engine truck.

Characteristics of Mulching Plastic Film Residue in Cotton Fields in the Yellow River Delta

In order to get a clear picture of distribution characteristics of mulching plastic film residue in cotton fields in the Yellow River Delta and make scientific pollution prevention and control strategies, an investigation was conducted in Dongying City. Five typical cotton fields were chosen, and then the number, distri- bution density and area of residual film were measured. The results showed that the residual film was 18. 84-53. 53 kg/hm^2 in cotton fields for more than 20 years, and the differences between fields were larger. The residual density was 225-340 thousand per hectare. There were great differences among residual pieces. The proportion of residual pieces over 25 cm^2 was 94. 1%, that between 100 cm^2 and 500 cm^2 was more than 50. 0%, and that bigger than 500 cm^2 was about 21. 0%. In the Yellow River Delta cotton region, large, thin and difficult to recovery were the main characteristics of mulching plastic film residue, and it had the possibility of mi- grating to deep soil. Thus, the ecological risk of mulching plastic film residue was higher. Key words The Yellow River Delta; Cotton field; Residue of mulching plastic film; Distribution characteristic

Practice and Exploration of Scientific Recycling of Agricultural Plastic Film in Nanchong City

Nanchong City is a major grain production city in Sichuan Province.The annual use of agricultural plastic film for grain and oil crop production and the amount of waste agricultural plastic film produced are very large.How to properly recycle agricultural plastic film and reduce the non-point source pollution of agricultural plastic film to agricultural environment has become an unavoidable subject of agricultural production in Nanchong City.In recent years,the scientific recycling of agricultural plastic film in Nanchong City has made great achievement.On the basis of statistical survey,this paper elaborated the main methods and results achieved,analyzed the existing problems,and came up with recommendations for the future work,in the hope of providing a reference for strengthening agricultural plastic film recycling in similar situations.

Bauschinger and size effects in thin-film plasticity due to defect-energy of geometrical necessary dislocations

The Bauschinger and size effects in the thinfilm plasticity theory arising from the defect-energy of geometrically necessary dislocations （GNDs） are analytically investigated in this paper. Firstly, this defect-energy is deduced based on the elastic interactions of coupling dislocations （or pile-ups） moving on the closed neighboring slip plane. This energy is a quadratic function of the GNDs density, and includes an elastic interaction coefficient and an energetic length scale L. By incorporating it into the work- conjugate strain gradient plasticity theory of Gurtin, an energetic stress associated with this defect energy is obtained, which just plays the role of back stress in the kinematic hardening model. Then this back-stress hardening model is used to investigate the Bauschinger and size effects in the tension problem of single crystal Al films with passivation layers. The tension stress in the film shows a reverse dependence on the film thickness h. By comparing it with discrete-dislocation simulation results, the length scale L is determined, which is just several slip plane spacing, and accords well with our physical interpretation for the defect- energy. The Bauschinger effect after unloading is analyzed by combining this back-stress hardening model with a friction model. The effects of film thickness and pre-strain on the reversed plastic strain after unloading are quantified and qualitatively compared with experiment results.

Analysis and Control of Soil Residual Film Pollution Load in Cotton Fields in the Yellow River Delta

[Objectives]This study was conducted to explore the characteristics of soil residual film pollution load in cotton fields in the Yellow River Delta,so as to effectively control soil film pollution.[Methods]Cotton field mulching film survey and residue monitoring were conducted in the Yellow River Delta area.[Results]The amount of mulching film residues in cotton fields in the Yellow River Delta was 37.7-128.7 kg/hm^(2),which had a significant increase compared with 5 years ago,and the differences between plots were large;and after straw was returned to the field,the soil residual film obviously gathered in the 20-30 cm soil layer.The residual film blocks with a size of more than 25 cm^(2) accounted for 62.6%,which was a relatively high proportion,indicating that soil pollution can be caused easily,and it is difficult to control.During a certain period of time,the soil residual film pollution may have a tendency to aggravate,and the ecological risk is higher.[Conclusions]This study has important theoretical and practical significance for improving soil quality in the region and ensuring the safety of cotton field ecosystem and environmental health.

Design of New Farm Machine for Chopping Field Straw,Pressing it into Soil and Cleaning up Plastic Film

In this paper,we design a farm machine integrating the functions of chopping field straw,pressing field straw into soil,breaking stubble,and cleaning up plastic film,in order to improve the efficiency of plastic film cleaning,enrich the function of straw chopping equipment,reduce the noise generated at work,and further realize the intelligent harmony. The remote control button is used to control the work of the entire system,and the bluetooth remote control module and matrix keyboard are used to control the vehicle. With STM32 microcontroller as the main control chip,the machine controls the motion of the electric motor by relay,and employs LCD screen to realize real-time display of system work. It is convenient and easy to operate,with good human-computer interaction.