EFFECT OF RIDGE AND FURROW MICRO-CATCHMENT ON SOIL WATER IN SEEDED MEDICAGO SATIVA GRASSLAND IN THE SEMIARID LOESS HILL AND GULLY REGION OF NORTHWESTERN CHINA

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2007.0058

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims The semiarid loess hill and gully region of northwestern China is a pasture and agriculture transitional zone lacking water resources for irrigation. The agroecosystem in this region is very vulnerable. An effective method to improve the ecosystem is to combine agriculture with animal husbandry, in which productive grassland plays a key role. However, water is the main limitation on grassland production in this region. We studied the effect of alternating ridges and furrows (for harvesting rainfall) on alfalfa (Medicago sativa) forage yield and soil water.
Methods Five treatments were compared: 1) conventional cultivation in a flat plot without mulch (CK), 2) plastic mulched ridges with 30 cm wide ridges and furrows (M30), 3) plastic mulched ridges with 60 cm wide ridges and furrows (M60), 4) bare ridges with 30 cm wide ridges and furrows (B30), and 5) bare ridges with 60 cm wide ridges and furrows (B60). We measured soil water consumption, forage yield of alfalfa and soil water profile in all treatments.
Important findings The water use efficiency of M30 and M60 treatments was greater than that of CK by 13% and 41%, respectively. The total forage yield of alfalfa of M30 in four years was not significantly different from that of CK, but the total forage yield of M60 was significantly higher than that of CK by 41%. In both bare treatments, the total forage yield of alfalfa was lower than in CK. In the 3rd alfalfa growing season, the 150 cm soil layer was the balance point of water supplement and soil water consumption. Below 150 cm, soil water can not be supplied by rainfall. Water at 200-500 cm soil depth was close to the permanent wilting point after four years. This study indicates that the M60 treatment is the optimum model for alfalfa establishment in this region. However, after the alfalfa phase, the shallow-root crop must be planted to restore soil water content for subsequent conventional crops.

Key words: loess hill and gully region, rainwater-harvesting technology, Medicago sativa, soil water

JIA Yu, XU Bing-Cheng, WANG Xiao-Ling, SUN Guo-Jun, XU Jin-Zhang, LI Feng-Min. EFFECT OF RIDGE AND FURROW MICRO-CATCHMENT ON SOIL WATER IN SEEDED MEDICAGO SATIVA GRASSLAND IN THE SEMIARID LOESS HILL AND GULLY REGION OF NORTHWESTERN CHINA[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2007, 31(3): 470-475.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2007.0058

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2007/V31/I3/470

Figures/Tables 6

Fig.1 Distribution of rainfall every ten days during the Medicago sativa growing seasons in 2001-2004 at the experimental site

Table 1 Forage yield of Medicago sativa (kg·hm-2) in the various treatments in 2001-2004

处理 Treatments	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001~2004
CK	624.11^bc	3 389.8^bc	4 541.2^bc	4 657.1^b	13 212.1^bc
M30	744.59^ab	3 824.3^ab	4 897.4^b	4 855.2^b	14 321.5^b
M60	763.78^a	4 608.9^a	6 631.2^a	6 615.1^a	18 619.0^a
B30	535.00^c	3 027.5^bc	3 779.9^bc	3 180.7^c	10 523.2^c
B60	547.11^c	2 512.3^c	3 074.7^c	3 370.1^c	9 504.2^d

Table 2 Soil water consumption (mm) in the treatments in 2001-2004

处理 Treatments	0~200 cm			0~500 cm
处理 Treatments	2001	2002		2003	2004	2001~2004
CK	-10.8^a		97.7^a	80.1^b	61.1^a	274.9^a
M30	8.9^a		79.2^a	122.6^a	62.0^a	223.0^b
M60	-10.3^a		83.4^a	112.4^a	65.2^a	271.9^a
B30	5.9^a		91.4^a	96.1^b	55.7^b	224.6^b
B60	-11.2^a		88.6^a	70.5^b	64.1^a	224.9^b

Table 3 Water use efficiency (kg·hm-2·mm-1) in various treatments in 2001-2004

处理 Treatments	0~200 cm			0~500 cm
处理 Treatments	2001	2002		2003	2004	2001~2004
CK	2.89^abc		8.06^bc	12.16^b	21.99^b	9.61^c
M30	3.18^ab		9.51^ab	11.79^b	22.83^b	10.83^b
M60	3.58^a		11.33^a	16.95^a	30.64^a	13.57^a
B30	2.31^c		7.26^bc	9.80^b	15.41^c	7.95^d
B60	2.54^bc		6.11^c	8.41^b	15.69^c	7.17^d

Fig.2 Profile soil moisture in the upper 500-cm layer at increments of 20 cm in various treatments in April 2001, Oct. 2003 and Oct. 2004 A:播种前和2003年土壤剖面水分含量 The profile soil moisture in 2003 and before sowing B:2004年土壤剖面水分含量 The profile soil moisture in 2004 SMBS:为播种前的土壤含水量 Soil moisture before sowing PWC:永久萎蔫点 Permanent wilting coefficient (6.2%) FWHC:田间持水量 (22.9%) Field water holding capacity (maximum capillary held water, 22.9%) 误差线表示在p=0.05水平的LSD值 Error bars are the LSD at p=0.05

Fig.3 The sketch map of soil water supplement and consumption A. 土壤水分补给量 Soil water supplement B. 土壤水分消耗量 Soil water consumption

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