Review on the fully mulched ridge–furrow system for sustainable maize production on the semi-arid Loess Plateau

The fully mulched ridge–furrow(FMRF) system has been widely used on the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China due to its high maize(Zea mays L.) productivity and rainfall use efficiency. However, high outputs under this system led to a depletion of soil moisture and soil nutrients, which reduces its sustainability in the long run. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the system for the sustainable development of agriculture. The development, yield-increasing mechanisms,negative impacts, optimization, and their relations in the FMRF system are reviewed in this paper. We suggest using grain and forage maize varieties instead of regular maize;mulching plastic film in autumn or leaving the mulch after maize harvesting until the next spring, and then removing the old film and mulching new film;combining reduced/notillage with straw return;utilizing crop rotation or intercropping with winter canola(Brassica campestris L.), millet(Setaria italica), or oilseed flax(Linum usitatissimum L.);reducing nitrogen fertilizer and partially replacing chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer;using biodegradable or weather-resistant film;and implementing mechanized production. These integrations help to establish an environmentally friendly, high quality, and sustainable agricultural system, promote highquality development of dryland farming, and create new opportunities for agricultural development in the semi-arid Loess Plateau.

Measuring and modeling two-dimensional irrigation infiltration under film-mulched furrows

Furrow irrigation with film-mulched agricultural beds is being promoted in the arid region of northwest China because it improves water utilization. Two-dimensional infiltration patterns under film-mulched furrows can provide guidelines and criteria for irrigation design and operation. Our objective was to investigate soil water dynamics during ponding irrigation infiltration of mulched furrows in a cross-sectional ridge-furrow configuration, using laboratory experiments and mathematical simulations. Six experimental treatments, with two soil types （silt loam and sandy loam）, were investigated to monitor the wetting patterns and soil water distribution in a cuboid soil chamber. Irrigation of mulched furrows clearly increased water lateral infiltration on ridge shoulders and ridges, due to enhancement of capillary driving force. Increases to both initial soil water content （SWC） and irrigation water level resulted in increased wetted soil volume. Empirical regression equations accurately estimated the wetted lateral distance （Rl） and downward distance （Rd） with elapsed time in a variably wetted soil medium. Optimization of model parameters followed by the Inverse approach resulted in satisfactory agreement between observed and predicted cumulative infiltration and SWC. On the basis of model calibration, HYDRUS-2D model can accurately simulate two-dimensional soil water dynamics under irrigation of mulched furrows. There were significant differences in wetting patterns between unmulched and mulched furrow irrigation using HYDRUS-2D simulation. The Rd under the mulched furrows was 32.14% less than the unmulched furrows. Therefore, film-mulched furrows are recommended in a furrow irrigation system.

Soil water and salt distribution under furrow irrigation of saline water with plastic mulch on ridge

Furrow irrigation when combined with plastic mulch on ridge is one of the current uppermost wa- ter-saving irrigation technologies for arid regions. The present paper studies the dynamics of soil water-salt trans- portation and its spatial distribution characteristics under irrigation with saline water in a maize field experiment. The mathematical relationships for soil salinity, irrigation amount and water salinity are also established to evaluate the contribution of the irrigation amount and the salinity of saline water to soil salt accumulation. The result showed that irrigation with water of high salinity could effectively increase soil water content, but the increment is limited com- paring with the influence from irrigation amount. The soil water content in furrows was higher than that in ridges at the same soil layers, with increments of 12.87% and 13.70% for MMF9 （the treatment with the highest water salinity and the largest amount of irrigation water） and MMF1 （the treatment with the lowest water salinity and the least amount of irrigation water） on 27 June, respectively. The increment for MMF9 was gradually reduced while that for MMF1 increased along with growth stages, the values for 17 August being 2.40% and 19.92%, respectively. Soil water content in the ridge for MMF9 reduced gradually from the surface layer to deeper layers while the surface soil water content for MMF1 was smaller than the contents below 20 cm at the early growing stage. Soil salinities for the treatments with the same amount of irrigation water but different water salinity increased with the water salinity. When water salinity was 6.04 dS/m, the less water resulted in more salt accumulation in topsoil and less in deep layers. When water salinity was 2.89 dS/m, however, the less water resulted in less salt accumulation in topsoil and salinity remained basically stable in deep layers. The salt accumulation in the ridge surface was much smaller than that in the furrow bottom under this technology, which was quite different from traditional furrow irrigation. The soil salinities for MMF7, MMF8 and MMF9 in the ridge surface were 0.191, 0.355 and 0.427 dS/m, respectively, whereas those in the furrow bottom were 0.316, 0.521 and 0.631 dS/m, respectively. The result of correlation analysis indicated that compared with irrigation amount, the irrigation water salinity was still the main factor influ- encing soil salinity in furrow irrigation with plastic mulch on ridge.

Alternate Furrow Irrigation: A Practical Way to Improve Grape Quality and Water Use Efficiency in Arid Northwest China

Field experiments were conducted for two years to investigate the benefits of alternate furrow irrigation on fruit yield, quality and water use efficiency of grape （Vitis vinifera L. cv. Rizamat） in the arid region of Northwest China. Two irrigation treatments were included, i.e., conventional furrow irrigation （CFI, two root-zones were simultaneously irrigated during the consecutive irrigation） and alternate partial root-zone furrow irrigation （AFI, two root-zones were alternatively irrigated during the consecutive irrigation）. Results indicate that AFI maintained similar photosynthetic rate （Pn） but with a reduced transpiration rate when compared to CFI. As a consequence, AFI improved water use efficiency based on evapotranspiration （WUEEr, fruit yield over water consumed） and irrigation （WUE~, fruit yield over water irrigated） by 30.0 and 34.5%, respectively in 2005, and by 12.7 and 17.7%, respectively in 2006. AFI also increased the edible percentage of berry by 2.91-4.79% significantly in both years. Vitamin C （Vc） content content of berry was increased by 25.6-37.5%, and tritrated acidity （TA） was reduced by 9.5-18.1% in AFI. This resulted in an increased total soluble solid content （TSS） to TA ratio （TSS/TA） by 11.5-16.7% when compared to CFI in both years. Our results indicate that alternate furrow irrigation is a practical way to improve grape fruit quality and water use efficiency for irrigated crops in arid areas.

Stem flow of seed-maize under alternate furrow irrigation and double-row ridge planting in an arid region of Northwest China

Maize is widely planted throughout the world and has the highest yield of all the cereal crops. The arid region of North- west China has become the largest base for seed-maize production, but water shortage is the bottleneck for its long-term sustainability. Investigating the transpiration of seed-maize plants will offer valuable information for suitable planting and irrigation strategies in this arid area. In this study, stem flow was measured using a heat balance method under alternate furrow irrigation and double-row ridge planting. Meteorological factors, soil water content （e）, soil temperature （Ts） and leaf area （LA） were also monitored during 2012 and 2013. The diurnal stem flow and seasonal dynamics of maize plants in the zones of south side female parent （SFP）, north side female parent （NFP） and male parent （MP） were investigated. The order of stem flow rate was： SFP〉MP〉NFP. The relationships between stem flow and influential factors during three growth stages at different time scales were analyzed. On an hourly scale, solar radiation （Rs） was the main driving factor of stem flow. The influence of air temperature （Ta） during the maturity stage was significantly higher than in other periods. On a daily scale, Rs was the main driving factor of stem flow during the heading stage. During the filling growth stage, the main driving factor of NFP and MP stem flow was RH and Ts, respectively. However, during the maturity stage, the environ- mental factors had no significant influence on seed-maize stem flow. For different seed-maize plants, the main influential factors were different in each of the three growing seasons. Therefore, we identified them to accurately model the FP and MP stem flow and applied precision irrigation under alternate partial root-zone furrow irrigation to analyze major factors affecting stem flow in different scales.

Layering Precision Land Leveling and Furrow Irrigated Raised Bed Planting: Productivity and Input Use Efficiency of Irrigated Bread Wheat in Indo-Gangetic Plains

Stagnating yield and declining input use efficiency in irrigated wheat of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) coupled with diminishing availability of water for agriculture is a major concern of food security in South Asia. The objective of our study was to establish an understanding of how wheat yield and input use efficiency can be improved and how land leveling and crop establishment practices can be modified to be more efficient in water use through layering of precision-conservation crop management techniques. The “precision land leveling with raised bed” planting can be used to improve crop yield, water and nutrient use efficiency over the existing “traditional land leveling with flat” planting practices. We conducted a field experiment during 2002-2004 at Modipuram, India to quantify the benefits of alternate land leveling (precision land leveling) and crop establishment (furrow irrigated raised bed planting) techniques alone or in combination (layering precision-conservation) in terms of crop yield, water savings, and nutrient use efficiency of wheat production in IGP. The wheat yield was about 16.6% higher with nearly 50% less irrigation water with layering precision land leveling and raised bed planting compared to traditional practices (traditional land leveling with flat planting). The agronomic (AE) and uptake efficiency (UE) of N, P and K were significantly improved under precision land leveling with raised bed planting technique compared to other practices.

The Effect of Plastic-Covered Ridge and Furrow Planting on the Grain Filling and Hormonal Changes of Winter Wheat

Although plastic-covered ridge and furrow planting（RF） has been reported to produce substantial increases in the grain weight of winter wheat,the underlying mechanism is not yet understood.The present study used two cultivars,Xinong 538 and Zhoumai 18,and RF and traditional flatten planting（TF,control） with the objective of investigating the effect of RF on wheat grain filling and the possible relationship of hormonal changes in the wheat grains under RF to grain filling.The results indicated that RF significantly increased the grain weight,although the effects on grain filling were different： RF significantly increased the grain-filling rate and grain weight of inferior grains,whereas RF had no significant effect on grainfilling rate and grain weight of superior grains.The final grain weight of inferior grains under RF was 39.1 and 50.7 mg for Xinong 538 and Zhoumai 18,respectively,3.6 and 3.4 mg higher than the values under TF.However,the final grain weight of superior grains under RF was only 0.6 and 0.8 mg higher than under TF for Xinong 538 and Zhoumai 18,respectively.RF significantly decreased the ethylene and gibberellic acid content in the inferior grains and increased the indole-3-acetic acid,abscisic acid and zeatin ＋ zeatin riboside content in the inferior grains;however,no significant difference between RF and TF was observed for the hormonal content in the superior grains.Based on these results,we concluded that RF significantly modulated hormonal changes in the inferior grains and,thus,affected the grain filling and grain weight of the inferior grains;in contrast,RF had no significant effect on grain filling,grain weight and hormonal changes in the superior wheat grains.

Field performance of alternate wetting and drying furrow irrigation on tomato crop growth, yield, water use efficiency, quality and profitability

Sustainable irrigation method is now essential for adaptation and adoption in the areas where water resources are limited. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to test the performance of alternate wetting and drying furrow irrigation（AWDFI） on crop growth, yield, water use efficiency（WUE）, fruit quality and profitability analysis of tomato. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with six treatments replicated thrice during the dry seasons of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Irrigation water was applied through three ways of furrow： AWDFI, fixed wetting and drying furrow irrigation（FWDFI） and traditional（every） furrow irrigation（TFI）. Each irrigation method was divided into two levels： irrigation up to 100 and 80% field capacity（FC）. Results showed that plant biomass（dry matter） and marketable fruit yield of tomato did not differ significantly between the treatments of AWDFI and TFI, but significant difference was observed in AWDFI and in TFI compared to FWDFI at same irrigation level. AWDFI saved irrigation water by 35 to 38% for the irrigation levels up to 80 and 100% FC, compared to the TFI, respectively. AWDFI improved WUE by around 37 to 40% compared to TFI when irrigated with 100 and 80% FC, respectively. Fruit quality（total soluble solids and pulp） was found greater in AWDFI than in TFI. Net return from AWDFI technique was found nearly similar compared to TFI and more than FWDFI. The benefit cost ratio was viewed higher in AWDFI than in TFI and FWDFI by 2.8, 8.7 and 11, 10.4% when irrigation water was applied up to 100 and 80% FC, respectively. Unit production cost was obtained lower in AWDFI compared to TFI and FWDFI. However, AWDFI is a useful water-saving furrow irrigation technique which may resolve as an alternative choice compared with TFI in the areas where available water and supply methods are limited to irrigation.

Space-time principles of reducing stripping in furrow pits

The lower slope of furrow pits has following special features: small extent of weathering destruction, short time of production blasting damage, good arching effect of lower slope with small curvature radius, and good bottom effect of a pit end for transferring and bearing initial horizontal stresses in lower slope. The new principles provided theoretical basis for convex slope in furrow pits to reduce stripping. Similar phenomena and examples are supplied simultaneously.

Ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting with supplemental irrigation to improve seed yield and water use efficiency of winter oilseed rape(Brassica napus L.)

Ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting （RFRH） planting pattern can lessen the effect of water deficits throughout all crop growth stages, but water shortage would remain unavoidable during some stages of crop growth in arid and semiarid areas. Supplemental irrigation would still be needed to achieve a higher production. Field experiments were conducted for two growing seasons （2012-2013 and 2013-2014）to determine an appropriate amount of supplemental irrigation to be applied to winter oilseed rape at the stem-elongation stage with RFRH planting pattern. Four treatments, including supplemental irrigation amount of 0 （I1）, 60 mm （I2） and 120 mm （I3） with RFRH planting pattern and a control （CK） irrigated with 120 mm with flat planting pattern, were set up to evaluate the effects of supplemental irrigation on aboveground dry matter （ADM）, nitrogen nutrition index （NNI）, radiation use efficiency （RUE）, water use efficiency （WUE）, and seed yield and oil content of the oilseed rape. Results showed that supplemental irrigation improved NNI, RUE, seed yield and oil content, and WUE. However, the NNI, RUE, seed yield and oil content, and WUE did not increase significantly or even showed a downward trend with excessive irrigation. Seed yield was the highest in 13 for both growing seasons. Seed yield and WUE in 13 averaged 3235 kg ha^-1 and 8.85 kg ha^-1 mm-1, respectively. The highest WUE was occurred in 12 for both growing seasons. Seed yield and WUE in 12 averaged 3089 kg ha^-1 and 9.63 kg ha^-1 mm^-1, respectively. Compared to 13, 12 used 60 mm less irrigation amount, had an 8.9% higher WUE, but only 4.5 and 0.4% lower seed yield and oil content, respectively. 12 saved water without substantially sacrificing yield or oil content, so it is recommended as an appropriate cultivation and irrigation schedule for winter oilseed rape at the stem-elongation stage.

Simultaneous Application of Controlled Availability Fertilizers to Seeding Furrows with Seeding Increases Grain Yield and Quality of No-Till Cultivated Common Wheat in Japan

In Japan, common wheat is cultivated in upland fields converted from paddy fields, where poor drainage and high precipitation cause delay of sowing, lodging at the jointing stage, difficulty in topdressing at the ripening stage, and low yield. No-till cultivation has been promoted to overcome these problems but the yield is still low due to the lack of proper fertilizer application protocols. In this study, we determined whether an additional application of two kinds of Sigmoid coated urea as controlled availability fertilizers (CAFs) to the standard fertilization protocol for tillage cultivation can increase the yield and lodging resistance in no-till cultivated common wheat. Also, additional fertilization was applied to the seeding furrow simultaneously with seeding using a V-furrow no-till direct sowing (VFDS) machine. No-till cultivated plants had more tillers than tillage cultivated ones and consequently higher number of panicles and yield, caused by increased fertilizer application. The point-injected CAFs to the seeding furrow, which eluted at the jointing and ripening stages greatly increased the grain yield and protein content, respectively, compared to broadcast topdressing of ammonium sulfate at each stage. The simultaneous sowing and fertilization of additional CAFs using VFDS method in multi-year tests in farmers’ fields significantly increased the yield of no-till cultivated common wheat, and can be adopted by Japanese local farmers.

Determination of the Stable Slope Configuration of Oval-Shaped Furrow Pits

The space effects of oval-shaped furrow pit slopes were analyzed by the elastic mechanics principle.The interaction of limit equilibrium slope angle,friction coefficient,cohesion and horizontal radius of oval-shaped furrow pits has been derived.The oval trumpet-like rock mass is homogeneous and elastic while only loaded by its dead weight.The interaction indicates that the deeper an oval-shaped furrow pit is excavated,the greater the limit equilibrium slope angle.Both the theory base for reducing stripping waste rock in an oval-shaped furrow pit and the basic way to determine the configuration of a stable slope were developed from the mentioned interaction.The theory includes the preceding principles of stability analysis of slopes.Compared with the configuration determined by traditional theory of slope stability,a great quantity of stripping waste rock can be reduced by that determined in this paper under stable conditions.

Water Consumption and Maize Yield for Alternative Furrow Irrigation in Western Heilongjiang Province

Aiming at less and un-uniform distribution rainfall problems, the serious draught in spring, low crop production and water efficiency in sandy soil area of Heilongjiang Province, the experiment of alternative furrow irrigation was conducted in Dumeng County in 2009. The purpose of the experiment was to find the water consumption law and its influence on maize yield. The results showed that the highest water consumption was during the heading stage and the highest daily consumption of water was during the filling stage. The stimulation effect of alternative furrow irrigation on yield was obvious in the appropriate irrigation level. The best irrigation pattern for the highest yield was as follows： the seedling stage was 325 m3. hm^-2; the jointing stage was 400 m3-hm^-2; and the filling stage was 288 m3- hm-2. The water consumption during each growing period was that the seedling was 38.85 mm; the jointing was 108.11 mm; the heading was 124.39 ram; the filling was 88.96 ram; the milk was 60.21 ram; and the harvesting was 47.89 mm.

Soil Water Distribution and Irrigation Uniformity Under Alternative Furrow Irrigation

Field experiments were conducted to investigate the spatial-temporal distribution and the uniformity of soil water under alternative furrow irrigation in spring maize field in Cansu Province. Results showed that during the crop growing season, alternative drying and wetting furrows could incur crops to endure a water stress. thus the adsorptive ability of root system could be enhanced. As there was no zero flux plane between irrigated furrows and non-irrigated furrows under alternative furrow irrigation, lateral infiltration of water was obviously increased, thus decreasing the deep percolation. Compared with the conventional irrigation, although the water consumption in alternative furrow irrigation was reduced, the uniformity of soil water was not obviously affected.

茶园仿生往复式开沟松土机设计与试验

丘陵山区茶园土壤板结、石砾较多,使用传统旋转或移动式开沟机会出现打石跳刀、刀具无法入土、开沟不深、作业阻力大的问题。为此,依据人工铲土具有自发性以最低功耗完成最优作业路径的特点,设计仿人工铲土动作的曲柄摇杆式开沟装置,并研制小型茶园往复式开沟松土机。通过分析人工使用铁锹铲土的动作,建立入土、切土、抛土的运动模型,基于Matlab软件分析得到人工铲土时铁锹锹尖运动轨迹的拟合方程,以此方程为基准,建立曲柄连杆机构的目标函数,结合约束条件解出曲柄摇杆机构结构参数,同时对开沟铲进行开沟阻力分析,确定开沟铲的结构参数。建立Recurdyn和EDEM耦合的开沟铲-土壤互作仿真模型,并进行三因素三水平正交试验,对作业和结构参数进行优化,得到最优参数组合:机器前进速度v为0.06 m/s、曲柄转速n为42 r/min、入土倾角φ为80°。田间试验结果表明,茶园往复式开沟松土机作业平均开沟深度为211.5 mm,开沟功率为0.119 kW,沟深稳定性系数为90.9%,相较于传统旋转式开沟机,开沟功率降低6.3%,沟深稳定性系数提高3.1个百分点,整机作业质量满足茶园农艺要求。

侧深施肥直斜偏置式免耕播种开沟器设计与试验

采用侧深施肥技术,施肥铲作业后播种带两侧土壤高度不一致,易加剧播种机横向偏摆,进而导致播种深度均匀性和播种横向一致性较差。为解决上述问题,该研究设计了一种直斜偏置式免耕播种开沟器。该开沟器主要由切土斜刃、挡土定位板、偏置推土板等组成,作业时滑切土壤并将其推移至肥沟一侧拓宽种沟,避免种子落至肥沟后位置过深,提高播种质量。通过离散元仿真试验,以前进阻力、肥沟回土深度、种沟回土深度为试验指标进行二因素五水平正交旋转组合试验,得到斜刃滑切角为37°、偏置角为15°时开沟器作业性能最好。在最优参数下与双圆盘式、尖角式开沟器进行田间作业性能对比试验,相对于双圆盘式和尖角式开沟器,直斜偏置式开沟器播种深度变异系数分别降低41.12%、19.41%;播种横向变异系数分别降低39.00%、28.41%;前进阻力分别降低7.26%、28.20%;作业后肥沟与种沟回土深度分别提高9.47%、13.68%和33.33%、7.14%。试验结果表明,该开沟器可以减小前进阻力,增加肥沟与种沟回土,提高播种深度均匀性和播种横向一致性,可为播种开沟器的设计提供参考。

草莓大棚开沟起垄刀具数值模拟与工作参数响应面优化

草莓种植要求采用高垄栽培,为了提高开沟质量,现有开沟刀具一般是将旋耕刀具的刀身部分进行简单加宽处理。由于这种改进缺乏设计依据,当前的草莓大棚开沟刀具普遍存在作业质量不高和能耗较大的问题。为了进一步提高草莓大棚开沟刀具的性能,采用LS-DYNA软件建立了开沟刀具土壤旋抛数值仿真模型,并搭建田间实时试验装置,对仿真模型进行了分析验证。在此基础上,采用Box-Behnken响应面分析方法,以刀辊扭矩和残留粒子比例为响应值,建立了刀辊前进速度,刀轴转速和开沟起垄深度的二次回归模型,并对其进行优化。优化结果表明:前进速度0.38 m·s^(-1)、刀轴转速300 r·min^(-1)、开沟起垄深度300 mm,以此参数进行田间试验得到的扭矩为27.9 Nm,模型优化预测结果与田间试验相比相对误差小于5%,验证了优化模型和结果的可靠性。提出的新型的开沟刀具参数化设计方法可为大棚草莓开沟机具的设计优化提供参考。

Design and experiment evaluation of furrow compaction device with opener for maize

The double-disc opener of maize precision seeder is an important component which affects sowing quality.After the double-disc opening operation,there will be many unfavorable phenomena such as a W-shaped bottom with pointed ridge,returning soil to furrow,loose and rough furrow sidewall,and large soil blocks in the furrow bottom.These phenomena often cause the problems of poor sowing depth consistency and seed spacing uniformity.In order to solve the above problems,the furrow compaction device with opener was designed to compact and reshape the original seed furrow,eventually forming a smooth and flat V-shaped seed furrow.Through theoretical calculations and kinematic analysis,the main structural parameters of the device were limited to a small range:the spring stiffness coefficient k=0.96-4.19 N/mm and the angle of the furrow compaction wheelφ=30°-60°.In the soil-bin experiment,the rotary combination design was adopted to study the effects of the parameters of the furrow compaction device with opener on the seeds location variation.The regression model of two factors with respect to each indicator was established in the Design-Expert software,revealing the effects of two factors on the indicators.Finally,the optimal structural parameters obtained were:the spring stiffness coefficient k=4.0 N/mm,and the angle of furrow compaction wheelφ=42.4°.The field test was carried out to verify the effect of the furrow compaction device with opener on the performance of precision seeder.The results showed that the average values of the sowing depth variable coefficient,the lateral deviation and the seed spacing variable coefficient respectively were 5.77%,5.1 mm and 9.54%in the treatment of the furrow compaction device with opener.All indicators were superior to the traditional double-disc opener.This research can provide references for the design of furrow opening device and maize precision seeder.