Ananthakrishnan S, Sharma J C, Sharma Nitin, Kumar Sanjeev, Shankar S Vishnu, Ranjha Rewangini, Lalkhumliana F, Sharma Kapil, Aravinthkumar A
Department of Soil Science and Water Management, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, HP, 173 230, India.
Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012, India.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 17;15(1):17125. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-86552-4.
Rising temperatures due to climate change pose challenges for temperate crops hence, understanding soil hydrothermal dynamics is critical for optimizing crop yield. This study hypothesizes that optimum soil conditions, and effective moisture conservation are necessary for high-density apple orchards with M9 dwarfing rootstocks to maximize productivity. The present research investigates the impact of two irrigation levels (100% and 85% crop evapotranspiration (ETc)) and three mulching treatments (plastic mulch, dried grass mulch, and no mulch) on high-density apple plantations within a sub-humid agro-climatic zone in Himachal Pradesh, India, evaluated over two years. The study examines how different mulches affect soil nutrient dynamics and explores the interaction between mulch types and varying irrigation levels (full and deficit) on soil fertility. Beyond soil fertility, the research also investigates the effects of mulching on soil temperature, where it was observed that grass mulch significantly reduced maximum soil temperatures by an average of 2.2 ˚C, increased minimum soil temperatures by 1.3 ˚C compared to no mulch, and improved moisture conservation. The combination of grass mulch and 100% ETc irrigation achieved the highest yield (80.8 and 83.3 Mg ha in 2022 and 2023, respectively). However, the 85% ETc irrigation level achieved a higher water use efficiency (WUE), showing a 13.6% increase over 100% ETc in 2022 and a 12.7% increase in 2023. Deficit irrigation affected stomatal density, indicating its sensitivity to water availability. For optimal crop productivity in high-density apple orchards, using grass mulch with 100% ETc irrigation is recommended. Alternatively, 85% ETc irrigation can be used where water conservation is a priority without compromising yield and profit. These findings demonstrate that using grass mulch in combination with appropriate irrigation can improve climate resilience in high-density apple orchards by maintaining temperature stability, conserving moisture, and enhancing WUE under water-scarce conditions.
气候变化导致的气温上升给温带作物带来了挑战，因此，了解土壤水热动态对于优化作物产量至关重要。本研究假设，对于采用M9矮化砧木的高密度苹果园来说，最佳土壤条件和有效的水分保持对于实现生产力最大化是必要的。本研究调查了印度喜马偕尔邦半湿润农业气候区两种灌溉水平（100%和85%作物蒸散量（ETc））和三种覆盖处理（塑料覆盖、干草覆盖和无覆盖）对高密度苹果种植园的影响，为期两年。该研究考察了不同覆盖物如何影响土壤养分动态，并探讨了覆盖类型与不同灌溉水平（充分灌溉和亏缺灌溉）之间对土壤肥力的相互作用。除了土壤肥力，该研究还调查了覆盖对土壤温度的影响，结果发现，与无覆盖相比，干草覆盖显著降低了土壤最高温度，平均降低2.2℃，提高了土壤最低温度1.3℃，并改善了水分保持。干草覆盖与100%ETc灌溉相结合实现了最高产量（2022年和2023年分别为80.8和83.3 Mg/ha）。然而，85%ETc灌溉水平实现了更高的水分利用效率（WUE），2022年比100%ETc提高了13.6%，2023年提高了12.7%。亏缺灌溉影响气孔密度，表明其对水分供应敏感。对于高密度苹果园的最佳作物生产力，建议使用干草覆盖并进行100%ETc灌溉。或者，在水资源保护是优先事项的情况下，可以使用85%ETc灌溉，而不影响产量和利润。这些发现表明，在缺水条件下，将干草覆盖与适当灌溉相结合，可以通过维持温度稳定性、保持水分和提高水分利用效率来提高高密度苹果园的气候适应能力。
