Effect of mulching with maize straw on water infiltration and soil loss at different initial soil moistures in a rainfall simulation

Mulching and soil water content(SWC) have a significant impact on soil erosion,and this study investigated the effect of straw mulching on water infiltration and soil loss under different initial SWC treatments in a rainfall simulation experiment conducted in northern China.Increasing initial SWC can decrease soil infiltration and increase soil loss.During an 80 mm rainfall event(80 mm·h–1for 60 min),8%,12% and 16% initial SWC treatments decreased cumulative infiltration by8.7%,42.5% and 58.1%,and increased total sediment yield by 44,146 and 315 g,respectively,compared to 4%initial SWC.However,in all the straw mulching treatments,there was no significant difference in stable infiltration rate between the different initial SWC treatments.For all initial SWC treatments,straw mulching of30% or more significantly enhanced water infiltration by over 31% and reduced soil loss by over 49%,compared to the unmulched treatment.Taking into consideration the performance of no-till planters,a maize straw mulching rate of 30% to 60%(1400–3100 kg·hm–2) is recommended for the conservation of water and soil in northern China.

Emitter discharge characteristics of vertical tube irrigation affected by various factors

To examine the working principle of vertical tube irrigation, variations in vertical tube emitter discharge and their causes were analyzed in the laboratory experiment. The effects of the pressure head, initial soil water content, and tube diameter on the emitter discharge of the vertical tube were studied. The results show that quantitative relationship between the time and cumulative infiltration and emitter discharge of the vertical tube is obtained, and R 2 is more than 0.98. Emitter discharge exhibits a positive and negative correlation with the pressure head and soil water content, respectively. Tube dia- meter has a nonsignificant effect on the emitter discharge. Changes of the soil water content around the emitter water outlet are the main causes of emitter discharge variations. In the experiments, the range of vertical tube emitter discharge is 0.056-1.102 L/h. The emitter of vertical tube irrigation automatically adjusts the soil water content and maintains the root zone soil water content within an appropriate range, which achieves continuous irrigation, and further achieves the effect of water-saving.