Summary
This field trial compared short- and long-term applications of straw mulching, subsoiling, and combined treatments on wheat and maize productivity and water resource use in water-limited conditions. Combined subsoiling and straw mulching (SS) treatment consistently increased soil water storage across critical growth stages in both crops, whilst also enhancing photosynthetic rate and leaf water use efficiency in wheat. Yield and water use efficiency responses varied by crop type, treatment duration, and rainfall conditions, with long-term subsoiling treatment producing the highest wheat yield (9625 kg/hm², a 17.7% increase over control) in one year, whilst long-term SS treatment optimised water use efficiency in another.
UK applicability
The findings on straw mulching and subsoiling may have limited direct applicability to UK cereal production, as the study was conducted in a water-limited environment with different rainfall patterns and soil types. However, the research offers insights into soil management practices for improving water retention and photosynthetic efficiency that could inform UK arable farming strategies in response to increasing rainfall variability.
Key measures
Soil water storage (SWS), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), leaf water use efficiency (LWUE), grain yield (kg/hm²), water use efficiency (WUE)
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil water storage, net photosynthetic rate, leaf water use efficiency, grain yield, and water use efficiency in wheat and maize under different soil management treatments applied over short and long terms. Results indicated that combined subsoiling and straw mulching (SS) treatment produced differential effects depending on crop type, growth stage, and rainfall conditions.
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