Abstract
Straw returning is an efficient technology for increasing farmland fertility and crop yield. However, few studies have considered improving the method of straw returning to balance soil and crops. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the dynamic changes in soil fertility and crop growth in winter wheat fields under different straw returning conditions. The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with three replications. It spanned 3 years and five straw application treatments: no straw return (NS), half straw return (HS), full straw return (FS), full straw return + full film mulching (FFS), and full straw return + half film mulching (RPS) in a winter wheat single-cropping system. Straw returning increased the soil total nitrogen and soil organic carbon (SOC) contents in the topsoil. Compared with NS treatment, SOC content of FFS and RPS treatments increased by 15.57% and 13.06% on average, respectively, in the last 2 years of the study, with no significant difference between FS and HS treatments. Moreover, FFS treatment significantly increased the number of tillers and the aboveground biomass accumulation in the stems. Compared with NS, FFS treatments increased yield by 7.35–18.54% over 3 years by increasing spike number. In addition, FFS treatments increased water use efficiency by 1.89 mm kg ha−1 in an average of 3 years compared with NS. Full straw return with full film mulching significantly increased the aboveground biomass accumulation and yield of winter wheat by improving soil moisture and nutrient content. Overall, these results provide valuable insights for improving straw management strategies to enhance nitrogen use efficiency and yield in dryland agricultural soils.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFD1901102/2018YFD0200403) and the National Natural Science Fund in China (3197151014). We thank Dr. Yuze Li, Dr. Yeye Zhang, and Dr. Tong Li for writing assistance and proof reading the article. Special thanks to Dr. Weiyan Wang for his help in revising the manuscript. We also thank the technicians who collected samples for us during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mei Long: designed the research, analyzed the results, and writing original draft preparation. Miao Li: test layout and sampling. Chaoyang Yu: test layout and sampling. Yunpeng Ding: test layout and sampling. Wei Li: modify the manuscript. Houping Zhang: modify the manuscript. Tishuo Zhang: test layout and sampling. Xiaoxia Wen: designed the research and provide technical support.
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Long, M., Li, M., Yu, C. et al. Effects of Straw Returning Method on Soil Physical and Chemical Properties and Growth of Winter Wheat in Rainfed Area of the Loess Plateau. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 23, 5567–5581 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01422-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01422-0