Effect of burying the straw deeply and plastic mulching on soil water and yield of spring-sown maize

Areas of northern China are arid, and soil moisture content and fertility are low at the time of planting of maize. A solution was proposed to address this problem. After harvesting in the autumn, the soil is tilled to create deep furrows which are filled with straw and fertilizer, and then backfilled to form ridges that are mulched with a plastic film. In the coming spring the maize will be seeded by puncture the membranes. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of field management practices on soil water and maize yield in west Liaoning province. The field management practices included traditional tillage (CK) and alternating ridges deeply buried straw and mulched with plastic film and bare furrows (DM). The DM treatment significantly increased the soil water content in the upper 40cm soil layer throughout maize growing season, compared with the CK treatment. Maize growth in DM was faster than that in CK treatments. Maize yield and some yield components were affected by burying the straw deeply. The mean yields for DM and CK treatments were 11.8 and 10.9 t ha-1, and DK treatments increased 8% of maize yield. The greater yield was associated with better yield components.