Effects of tillage practices on root spatial distribution and yield of spring wheat and pea in the dry land farming areas of central Gansu, China

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.201712.028

Abstract

Abstract: A field experiment was conducted to explore the mechanism of cultivation measures in affecting crop yield by investigating root distribution in spring wheat-pea rotation based on a long-term conservation tillage practices in a farming region of Gansu. The results showed that with the develo-pment of growth period, the total root length, root surface area of spring wheat and pea showed a consistent trend of increase after initial decrease and reached the maximum at flowering stage. Higher root distribution was found in the 0-10 cm soil layer at seedling and 10-30 cm soil layer at flowering and maturity stages in spring wheat, while in the field pea, higher root distribution was found in the 0-10 cm soil layer at seedling and maturity, and in the 10-30 cm soil layer at flowering stages. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching increased the root length and root surface area. Compared with conventional tillage in spring wheat and field pea, root length increased by 35.9% to 92.6%, and root surface area increased by 43.2% to 162.4%, respectively. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching optimized spring wheat and pea root system distribution, compared with conventional tillage, increased spring wheat and field pea root length and root surface area ratio at 0-10 cm depths at the seedling stage, the root distribution at deeper depths increased significantly at flowering and maturity stages, and no tillage with straw mulching increased root length and root surface area ratio by 3.3% and 9.7% respectively, in 30-80 cm soil layer at the flowering stage. The total root length, root surface area and yield had significantly positive correlation for spring wheat in each growth period, and the total root length and pea yield also had significant positive correlation. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching boosted yield of spring wheat and pea by 23.4%-38.7% compared with the conventional tillage, and the water use efficiency was increased by 13.7%-28.5%. It was concluded that no-till farming and straw mulching (plastic) could increase crop root length and root surface area, optimize the spatial distribution of roots in the soil, enhance crop root layer absorption ability, so as to improve crop yield and water utilization.

ZHANG Ming-jun, LI Ling-ling, XIE Jun-hong, PENG Zheng-kai, REN Jin-hu. Effects of tillage practices on root spatial distribution and yield of spring wheat and pea in the dry land farming areas of central Gansu, China[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2017, 28(12): 3917-3925.

References

[1] Wang J-M (王俊明), Zhang X-C (张兴昌). Changes of carbon storage in vegetation and soil during different successional stages of rehabilitated grassland. Acta Prata-culturae Sinica (草业学报), 2009, 18(1): 1-8 (in Chinese)
[2] Luk HS. Soil erosion and land management in the Loess Plateau Region, North China. Chinese Geography and Environment, 1991, 3: 3-28
[3] Wu H-J (吴会军). The Conservation Tillage for Soil and Water Control on Loess Slope Farmland in the Wes-tern Region of Henan Province. Master Thesis. Beijing: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2001 (in Chinese)
[4] Zang Y (臧英), Gao H-W (高焕文), Zhou J-Z (周建忠). Experimental study on soil erosion by wind under conservation tillage. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering (农业工程学报), 2003, 19(2): 56-60 (in Chinese)
[5] Xie R-Z (谢瑞芝), Li S-K (李少昆), Li X-J (李小君), et al. The analysis of conservation tillage in China-conservation tillage and crop production: Reviewing the evidence. Scientia Agricultura Sinica (中国农业科学), 2007, 40(9): 1914-1924 (in Chinese)
[6] Li L-L (李玲玲), Huang G-B (黄高宝), Zhang R-Z (张仁陟), et al. Effects of conservation tillage on soil water regimes in rainfed areas. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 2005, 25(9): 2326-2332 (in Chinese)
[7] Zhang R-Z (张仁陟), Luo Z-Z (罗珠珠), Cai L-Q (蔡立群). Effects of long-term conservation tillage on soil physical quality of rainfed areas of the Loess Pla-teau. Acta Prataculturae Sinica (草业学报), 2011, 20(4): 1-10 (in Chinese)
[8] Sun H-Y (孙宏勇), Zhang X-Y (张喜英), Chen S-Y (陈素英). Analysis of field water consumption, its pattern, impact and driving factors. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture (中国生态农业学报), 2011, 19(5): 1032-1038 (in Chinese)
[9] Kong F-L (孔凡磊), Zhang H-L (张海林), Zhai Y-L (翟云龙). Effects of tillage methods on crop yield and water use characteristics in winter-wheat/summer-maize rotation system in the North China Plain. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture (中国生态农业学报), 2014, 22(7): 749-756 (in Chinese)
[10] Cai T-Y (蔡太义), Huang Y-W (黄耀威), Huang H-J (黄会娟). Soil labile organic carbon and carbon pool management index as affected by different years no-tilling with straw mulching. Chinese Journal of Ecology (生态学杂志), 2011, 30(9): 1962-1968 (in Chinese)
[11] Wang L (王琳), Li L-L (李玲玲), Gao L-F (高立峰). Effect of long-term conservation tillage on total organic carbon and readily oxidizable organic carbon in loess soils. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture (中国生态农业学报), 2013, 21(9): 1057-1063 (in Chinese)
[12] Wang G-L (王改玲), Hao M-D (郝明德), Xu J-G (许继光). Effect of conservation tillage on wheat yield and soil physicochemical properties in the south of Loess Plateau. Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer Science (植物营养与肥料学报), 2011, 17(3): 539-544 (in Chinese)
[13] Huang G-B (黄高宝), Guo Y-Q (郭毅清), Zhang R-Z (张仁陟). Effects of conservation tillage on soil moisture and crop yield in a phased rotation system with spring wheat and field pea in dryland. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 2006, 26(4): 1176-1185 (in Chinese)
[14] Yin W (殷文), Feng F-X (冯福学), Zhao C (赵财), et al. Effects of wheat straw returning patterns on characteristics of dry matter accumulation, distribution and yield of rotation maize. Acta Agronomica Sinica (作物学报), 2016, 42(5): 751-757 (in Chinese)
[15] Zhang A-L (张爱良), Miao G-Y (苗果园), Wang J-P (王建平), et al. The relationship of crop root with water. Crop Research (作物研究), 1997(2): 4-6 (in Chinese)
[16] Tong W-J (童文杰), Deng X-P (邓小鹏), Xu Z-L (徐照丽), et al. Effect of plowing depth on soil physical characteristics and spatial distribution of root system of flue-cured tobacco. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture (中国生态农业学报), 2016, 24(11): 1464-1472 (in Chinese)
[17] Feng F-X (冯福学), Huang G-B (黄高宝), Chai Q (柴强). Effects of different tillage on spatiotemporal distribution of winter wheat root and yield. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 2009, 29(5): 2499-2506 (in Chinese)
[18] Bolinder MA, Angers DA, Dubuc JP. Estimating shoot to root ratios and annual carbon inputs in soils for cereal crops. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 1997, 63: 61-66
[19] Ma Z-H (马兆惠), Che R-J (车仁君), Wang H-Y (王海英), et al. Effect of different seeding rates and planting patterns on root morphological traits and root vigor of super-high-yield soybean cultivars. Scientia Agricultura Sinica (中国农业科学), 2015, 48(6): 1084-1094 (in Chinese)
[20] Zha L (查丽), Xie M-L (谢孟林), Zhu M (朱敏), et al. Effects of ridge-cultivation and plastic film mulching on root distribution and yield of spring maize in hilly area of central Sichuan basin, China. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 2016, 27(3): 855-862 (in Chinese)
[21] Zhu F-H (祝飞华), Wang Y-Q (王益权), Shi Z-L (石宗琳), et al. Effects of rotational tillage on soil physical properties and winter wheat root growth on annual double cropping area. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 2015, 35(22): 7454-7463 (in Chinese)
[22] Zhao B-Q (赵秉强), Li F-C (李凤超), Xue J-L (薛坚李), et al. Effect of different tillage methods on root growth of winter wheat. Acta Agronomica Sinica (作物学报), 1997, 23(5): 587-596 (in Chinese)
[23] Ball Coelho BR, Roy RC, Swanton CJ. Tillage alters corn root distribution in coarse-textured soil. Soil and Tillage Research, 1998, 45: 237-249
[24] Li L-L (李玲玲), Huang G-B (黄高宝), Zhang R-Z (张仁陟), et al. Effects of no-till with stubble retention on soil water regimes in rainfed areas. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (水土保持学报), 2005, 19(5): 96-98, 118 (in Chinese)
[25] Wang H-X (王海霞), Sun H-X (孙红霞), Han Q-F (韩清芳). Effects of straw mulching on the soil aggregates in dryland wheat field under no-tillage. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 2012, 23(4): 1025-1030 (in Chinese)
[26] Sun L-J (孙利军), Zhang R-Z (张仁陟), Huang G-B (黄高宝). Effects of the conservation tillage on the physicochemical characteristics of soil surface in the semi-arid areas of the Loess Plateau. Agricultural Research in the Arid Areas (干旱地区农业研究), 2007, 25(6): 207-211 (in Chinese)
[27] Luo Z-Z (罗珠珠), Huang G-B (黄高宝), Zhang R-Z (张仁陟), et al. Effect of long-term conservation tillage on soil fertility in rain-fed areas of the Loess Plateau. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture (中国生态农业学报), 2010, 18(3): 458-464 (in Chinese)
[28] Cai L-Q (蔡立群), Luo Z-Z (罗珠珠), Zhang R-Z (张仁陟), et al. Effect of different tillage methods on soil water retention and infiltration capability of rainfed field. Journal of Desert Research (中国沙漠), 2012, 32(5): 1362-1368 (in Chinese)
[29] Zhang R-Z (张仁陟), Huang G-B (黄高宝), Cai L-Q (蔡立群), et al. Dry farmland practice involving multi-conservation tillage measures in the Loess Plateau. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture (中国生态农业学报), 2013, 21(1): 61-69 (in Chinese)
[30] Wasson AP, Richards RA, Chatrath R, et al. Traits and selection strategies to improve root systems and water uptake in water-limited wheat crops. Journal of Experimental Botany, 2012, 63: 3485-3498
[31] Wang F-H (王法宏), Wang X-Q (王旭清), Liu S-Y (刘素英), et al. Research progress on the relationship between root system distribution and crop yield. Journal of Shangdong Agricultural Sciences (山东农业科学), 1997(4): 48-51 (in Chinese)
[32] Xu Y (徐月). Effects of Different Tillage Methods on Soil Physicochemical Characters and the Growth and Development of Wheat. Master Thesis. Zibo: Shandong University of Technology, 2014 (in Chinese)