Abstract: To clarify the effects of tillage with mulching on potato yield and soil water and heat characteristics, we conducted a field experiment for two consecutive years in arid region of southern Ningxia. The results showed that tillage depths and mulching materials had significant impacts on soil water storage at 0-100 cm layer during the potato sowing period. The interactive effects of tillage depths and mulching materials were not significant. In 2019, the highest soil water storage was obtained in the subsoiling 30 cm with plastic film mulching, while soil water storage under the subsoiling 40 cm with straw mulch was the highest in 2020. Subsoiling 30 cm with plastic film mul-ching and subsoiling 40 cm with straw mulch significantly increased soil water storage by 16.9% and 33.4% compared with the plowing 15 cm with no mulch (CK), respectively. Tillage depths and mulching materials significantly affected soil water storage in the key growth period of potato. Among the tillage systems, the straw mulching plots and plastic film mulching plots had the strongest effect of soil water conservation. Irrespective of the mulching materials, soil water storage was significantly improved in the subsoiling 30-40 cm plots. Mulching materials and the interaction between tillage depths and mulching materials significantly affected soil effective accumulated temperature at 0-25 cm soil layer after sowing to budding. Among the tillage systems, the plastic film mulching plots significantly increased the average soil effective accumulated temperature by 9.3%, whereas the straw mulching plots significantly reduced the temperature by 18.7%, in comparison with no mulching plots. The highest soil effective accumulated temperature during the whole growth period was obtained in the subsoiling 30 cm with plastic film mulching and subsoiling 40 cm with plastic film mulching treatments in 2019 and 2020. The highest potato tuber yield and economic benefit in 2019 were found in the subsoiling 30 cm with straw mulching treatment, respectively, being 84.6% and 107.9% higher than CK. In 2020, the improvement effect of subsoiling 40 cm with straw mulch on potato tuber yield and economic benefit was the strongest, respectively, which were significantly increased by 81.7% and 105.7%, compared with CK. Tillage depths and mulching materials had significant interactive effects on the water and heat use efficiency of crop. The higher water use efficiency was obtained in the subsoiling 30-40 cm with straw mulch treatments, whereas the accumulated temperature use efficiency was increased significantly under different tillage depths with straw mulching treatments compared with CK. Soil water and effective accumulated temperature during the tuber formation stage were the main factors affecting potato total yield, with stronger effect of soil water than that of soil effective accumulated temperature. Therefore, the treatments of subsoiling 30-40 cm with straw mulch could improve soil moisture and heat condition, and realize potato yield and income increase and efficient use of water and heat resources, which have application and popularization value in dryland potato cultivation of southern Ningxia.

Key words: tillage with mulching, soil water and temperature, water and heat use efficiency, potato yield