Zhao Li, Zhang Chang, Liang Min, Chen Pei, Anwar Sumera, Fan Mingyuan, Xie Guangming, Wang Chuangyun
College of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China.
Department of Botany, Government College Women University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
Plants (Basel). 2024 Dec 6;13(23):3423. doi: 10.3390/plants13233423.
High-density maize cultivation can enhance yield, but water scarcity on the Loess Plateau may limit this potential. Mulching is a sustainable practice that conserves soil moisture, yet limited studies exist on the combined effects of planting densities and mulching types on maize performance in this region. Over two years, an experiment investigated the effects of mulching (no mulching (NM), plastic film mulching (PM), and straw mulching (SM)) at various densities (60,000 to 90,000 plants ha). The results showed that mulching significantly improved grain yield and other metrics compared to NM. PM and SM enhanced yields notably at 75,000 plants ha, while NM was more favorable at 67,500 plants ha. Physiological responses varied with density, showing a decreased photosynthesis rate alongside an increased transpiration rate. PM exhibited a 32 and 13% increase in catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, while malondialdehyde content was reduced by 7% compared to NM. The average of both years indicates that PM significantly increased the grain yield, net photosynthesis rate, and chlorophyll content by 5.8, 26.8, and 26.9%, while SM showed a 3, 12, and 12% increase, respectively, compared to NM. In conclusion, the combination of mulching and optimized planting density could enhance maize cultivation in the Loess Plateau.
高密度玉米种植可以提高产量，但黄土高原的水资源短缺可能会限制这种潜力。覆盖是一种可持续的做法，可以保持土壤水分，但关于种植密度和覆盖类型对该地区玉米生长综合影响的研究较少。在两年的时间里，一项实验研究了不同密度（60,000至90,000株/公顷）下覆盖（不覆盖（NM）、地膜覆盖（PM）和秸秆覆盖（SM））的效果。结果表明，与不覆盖相比，覆盖显著提高了籽粒产量和其他指标。地膜覆盖和秸秆覆盖在75,000株/公顷时显著提高了产量，而不覆盖在67,500株/公顷时更有利。生理反应随密度而变化，光合速率下降，蒸腾速率增加。与不覆盖相比，地膜覆盖的过氧化氢酶和超氧化物歧化酶活性分别提高了32%和13%，丙二醛含量降低了7%。两年的平均值表明，与不覆盖相比，地膜覆盖显著提高了籽粒产量、净光合速率和叶绿素含量，分别提高了5.8%、26.8%和26.9%，而秸秆覆盖分别提高了3%、12%和12%。总之，覆盖和优化种植密度相结合可以提高黄土高原的玉米种植水平。
