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.

Simulation of temperature distribution in double-row potato ridges mulched with plastic film covered with soil

In Northwest China,potatoes are cultivated on double-rows of each ridge which is mulched with plastic film,and the film is covered with some of soil.While effective in retaining soil moisture,this technique can render the potato seedlings prone to be burned if they are not released from the plastic film in time.In this study,the model of convective heat transfer of potato ridge under solar radiation and atmospheric radiation is established by the Fluent software.The processes of the heat transfer of potato ridge was simulated for a certain day,and the temperature distribution in the potato ridge was monitored over time.The temperature distribution of soil in the growth layer of potato plants was analyzed under different thickness and widths of the covering soil on the film.The results showed that with the increase of covering soil thickness and width,the time for soil at different depth to reach the peak-temperature was delayed,and the daily temperature change of soil where the different depths layer of potato plants growth was reduced.At that time,a binary regression equation of offset temperature was constructed by using the Response Surface Method.The best parameter combination for covering soil on the plastic film is a thickness of 50 mm and a width of 280 mm in the cold and arid areas of Northwest China.However,the offset temperature(PT)first decreased and then almost remained unchanged with the increase of covering soil thickness.Considering the operational efficiency and power consumption of soil covering devices in the field,the unchanged width of the covering soil is 200 mm.The field experiments have shown that a 50 mm thick of soil covering is beneficial for the growth of potato plants and a 200 mm width of soil covering is beneficial for the growth of potato plants.The height of potato plants was 21 cm,and the natural emergence rate of potatoes was 95.8%on June 9,2024.The environment of soil covered could provide theoretical support for the mechanized planting of potatoes.

Effects of film-stalk spaced dual mulching system on corn growth and yield

Film-stalk spaced dual mulching is a new type of cultivation measure that is increasingly highlighted in semi-arid areas in China.Despite its potential,there is limited understanding of how different mulching materials affect both soil quality and crop yield in these areas.To address this gap,we conducted a two-year(2020-2021)field experiment in central China to explore the yield-enhancing mechanisms and assess the impact of various mulching materials on soil and corn yield.The experiment comprised six treatments,i.e.,plastic film-whole stalk spaced mulching in fall(PSF),plastic film-whole stalk spaced mulching in spring(PSS),black and silver plastic film-whole stalk spaced mulching in spring(BPSS),biodegradable film-whole stalk spaced mulching in spring(BSS),liquid film-whole stalk spaced mulching in spring(LSS),and non-mulching cultivation(CK).Results revealed that BPSS demonstrated the most significant yield increase,surpassing CK by a notable 10.0%and other mulching treatments by 2.4%-5.9%.The efficacy of BPSS lied in its provision of favorable hydrothermal conditions for corn cultivation,particularly during hot season.Its cooling effect facilitated the establishment of optimal temperature conditions relative to transparent mulching,leading to higher root growth indices(e.g.,length and surface area),as well as higher leaf photosynthetic rate and dry matter accumulation per plant.Additionally,BPSS maintained higher average soil moisture content within 0-100 cm depth compared with biodegradable mulching and liquid mulching.As a result,BPSS increased activities of urease,catalase,and alkaline phosphatase,as well as the diversity and abundance of soil bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere zone of corn,facilitating nutrient accessibility by the plant.These findings suggest that selecting appropriate mulching materials is crucial for optimizing corn production in drought-prone areas,highlighting the potential of BPSS cultivation.