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Impacts of plastic film mulching on crop yields, soil water, nitrate, and organic carbon in Northwestern China: A meta-analysis

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  • Ma, Dedi
  • Chen, Lei
  • Qu, Hongchao
  • Wang, Yilin
  • Misselbrook, Tom
  • Jiang, Rui

Abstract

In order to increase crop yield in semi-arid and arid areas, plastic film mulching (PFM) is widely used in Northwestern China. To date, many studies have addressed the effects of PFM on soil physical and biochemical properties in rain-fed agriculture in Northwestern China, but the findings of different studies are often contradictory. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the impacts of PFM on soil water content, soil nutrients and food production is needed. We compiled the results of 1278 observations to evaluate the overall effects of PFM on soil water content, the distribution of nitrate and soil organic carbon, and crop yield in rain-fed agriculture in Northwestern China. Our results showed that PFM increased soil moisture and nitrate concentration in topsoils (0–20 cm) by 12.9% and 28.2%, respectively, but slightly decreased (1.8%) soil organic carbon (SOC) content in the 0–10 cm soil layer. PFM significantly increased grain yields by 43.1%, with greatest effect in spring maize (79.4%). When related to cumulative precipitation during the crop growing season, yield increase from PFM was greatest (72.8%) at 200–300 mm, which was attributed to the large increase for spring maize and potato, implying that crop zoning would be beneficial for PFM in this region. When related to N application rate, crop yields benefited most from PFM (80.2%) at 200–300 kg/ha. A cost-benefit analysis indicated that PFM increased economic return by an average of 29.5%, with the best improvement for spring maize (71.1%) and no increase for spring wheat. In conclusion, PFM can significantly increase crop yield and economic return (especially for spring maize) in rain-fed agriculture areas of Northwestern China. Crop zoning is recommended for PFM to achieve the largest economic benefit. However, full account needs to be taken of the environmental impacts relating to N loss, SOC depletion and film pollution to evaluate the sustainability of PFM systems and further research is required to quantify and mitigate these impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Ma, Dedi & Chen, Lei & Qu, Hongchao & Wang, Yilin & Misselbrook, Tom & Jiang, Rui, 2018. "Impacts of plastic film mulching on crop yields, soil water, nitrate, and organic carbon in Northwestern China: A meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 166-173.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:202:y:2018:i:c:p:166-173
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2018.02.001
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    6. Jovanovic, N. & Pereira, L.S. & Paredes, P. & Pôças, I. & Cantore, V. & Todorovic, M., 2020. "A review of strategies, methods and technologies to reduce non-beneficial consumptive water use on farms considering the FAO56 methods," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
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    14. Xiao, Liangang & Wei, Xi & Wang, Chunying & Zhao, Rongqin, 2023. "Plastic film mulching significantly boosts crop production and water use efficiency but not evapotranspiration in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    15. Chai, Yuwei & Chai, Qiang & Yang, Changgang & Chen, Yuzhang & Li, Rui & Li, Yawei & Chang, Lei & Lan, Xuemei & Cheng, Hongbo & Chai, Shouxi, 2022. "Plastic film mulching increases yield, water productivity, and net income of rain-fed winter wheat compared with no mulching in semiarid Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    16. Li, Shuo & Wang, Shujuan & Shi, Jianglan & Tian, Xiaohong & Wu, Jiechen, 2022. "Economic, energy and environmental performance assessment on wheat production under water-saving cultivation strategies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PB).
    17. Yang, Fengke & He, Baolin & Dong, Bo & Zhang, Guoping, 2024. "Film mulched ridge–furrow tillage improves the quality and fertility of dryland agricultural soil by enhancing soil organic carbon and nutrient stratification," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    18. Chaobiao Meng & Jianyu Zhao & Ning Wang & Kaijing Yang & Fengxin Wang, 2022. "Black Plastic Film Mulching Increases Soil Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Arid Potato Fields," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-12, November.
    19. Zhang, Wang & Tian, Yong & Sun, Zan & Zheng, Chunmiao, 2021. "How does plastic film mulching affect crop water productivity in an arid river basin?," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    20. Wang, Naijiang & Ding, Dianyuan & Malone, Robert W. & Chen, Haixin & Wei, Yongsheng & Zhang, Tibin & Luo, Xiaoqi & Li, Cheng & Chu, Xiaosheng & Feng, Hao, 2020. "When does plastic-film mulching yield more for dryland maize in the Loess Plateau of China? A meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    21. Chen, Die & Wei, Wei & Chen, Liding, 2020. "How can terracing impact on soil moisture variation in China? A meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    22. Amin, M.G. Mostofa & Mahbub, S.M. Mubtasim & Hasan, Md. Moudud & Pervin, Wafa & Sharmin, Jinat & Hossain, Md. Delwar, 2023. "Plant–water relations in subtropical maize fields under mulching and organic fertilization," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    23. Yang, Chong & Feng, Shouli & Yu, Jingyin & Tao, Xiaoyuan & Gao, Xuhua & Xu, Shengchun, 2024. "Effects of PLA/PBAT-based biodegradable film mulch on water and nitrogen dynamics in soil-potato system," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).

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