IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v14y2024i2p170-d1324918.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dry Direct-Seeded Rice Yield and Water Use Efficiency as Affected by Biodegradable Film Mulching in the Northeastern Region of China

Author

Listed:
  • Zijun Zhao

    (Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
    Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Residual Pollution in Agricultural Film, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Wenqing He

    (Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
    Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Residual Pollution in Agricultural Film, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Guangfeng Chen

    (National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center, Beijing 100193, China)

  • Changrong Yan

    (Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
    Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Residual Pollution in Agricultural Film, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Haihe Gao

    (Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
    Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Residual Pollution in Agricultural Film, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Qin Liu

    (Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
    Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Residual Pollution in Agricultural Film, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China)

Abstract

In the realm of agriculture, biodegradable films are emerging as a promising substitute for traditional polyethylene (PE) films. Despite their potential, there has been a notable lack of extensive research on their effectiveness in the context of dry direct-seeded rice cultivation. Addressing this gap, a comprehensive biennial study was conducted in the northeastern regions of China, focusing on the ‘Baonong 5’ rice variety. This study meticulously compared three distinct cultivation methods: (1) employing biodegradable film mulching, (2) using conventional plastic film mulching, and (3) cultivating without any mulch. The findings revealed that biodegradable film mulching significantly enhanced soil moisture control, increased leaf area, and improved rice yield and water utilization efficiency ( p < 0.05) compared to the plots without mulch. Notably, there was no marked difference in outcomes between the plastic film mulching and the unmulched plots. This research underscores the profound benefits of biodegradable film in rice cultivation, particularly from an environmental sustainability perspective. This innovative method not only boosts agricultural productivity but also addresses critical environmental challenges like climate change and water conservation. The application of biodegradable mulch has proven to be remarkably effective in improving irrigation efficiency and crop water conservation, leading to enhanced rice development and higher yields. The study recorded a substantial increase in water productivity—30% in 2021 and between 52.85% and 60% in 2022—compared to traditional cultivation practices. Furthermore, the use of biodegradable mulch resulted in significantly higher rice yields than the non-mulched plots, thus contributing to increased profitability. Such methods not only yield higher crop outputs but also mitigate environmental issues like water pollution and help alleviate prevalent water shortages in rice farming.

Suggested Citation

  • Zijun Zhao & Wenqing He & Guangfeng Chen & Changrong Yan & Haihe Gao & Qin Liu, 2024. "Dry Direct-Seeded Rice Yield and Water Use Efficiency as Affected by Biodegradable Film Mulching in the Northeastern Region of China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:170-:d:1324918
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/2/170/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/2/170/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tan, Quanyin & Yang, Liyao & Wei, Fan & Chen, Yuan & Li, Jinhui, 2023. "Comparative life cycle assessment of polyethylene agricultural mulching film and alternative options including different end-of-life routes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    2. Fang, Heng & Li, Yuannong & Gu, Xiaobo & Chen, Pengpeng & Li, Yupeng, 2022. "Root characteristics, utilization of water and nitrogen, and yield of maize under biodegradable film mulching and nitrogen application," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    3. Bingfan Wang & Zhaoyang Li & Zihan Liu & Jinwen Pang & Peng Zhang & Zhikuan Jia, 2023. "Effects of Future Climate Change on Spring Maize Yield and Water Use Efficiency under Film Mulching with Different Materials in the LOESS Plateau Region of China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, June.
    4. Weichang Gao & Zhenyan Lin & Kai Cai & Wenjie Pan & Han Li & Yanxia Liu & Dai Peng & Jiangchi Fei, 2022. "Effect of PBAT Biodegradable Mulch Film Extract on Seed Germination and Seedlings Metabolism of Tobacco," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-12, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhiwen Song & Lei Zhao & Junguo Bi & Qingyun Tang & Guodong Wang & Yuxiang Li, 2024. "Classification of Degradable Mulch Films and Their Promotional Effects and Limitations on Agricultural Production," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Liang, Yonghui & Wen, Yue & Meng, Yu & Li, Haiqiang & Song, Libing & Zhang, Jinzhu & Ma, Zhanli & Han, Yue & Wang, Zhenhua, 2024. "Effects of biodegradable film types and drip irrigation amounts on maize growth and field carbon sequestration in arid northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    3. Sun, Jun & Niu, Wenquan & Du, Yadan & Zhang, Qian & Li, Guochun & Ma, Li & Zhu, Jinjin & Mu, Fei & Sun, Dan & Gan, Haicheng & Siddique, Kadambot H.M. & Ali, Sajjad, 2023. "Combined tillage: A management strategy to improve rainfed maize tolerance to extreme events in northwestern China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    4. Wei Sun & Haibin Shi & Xianyue Li & Qingfeng Miao & Jianwen Yan & Zhuangzhuang Feng & Yinglong Qi & Weiying Feng, 2024. "Effect of Water Conservation and Nitrogen Reduction on Root Growth and Yield in Spring Maize in Typical Sand Interlayered Soil," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-17, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:170-:d:1324918. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.