Effect of Gravel-Sand Mulch on Soil Water and Temperature in the Semiarid Loess Region of Northwest China
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 11
Abstract
In the semiarid loess region of northwest China, the use of gravel and sand as a surface-mulching material has been an indigenous farming technique for crop production for over 300 years. A field and modeling study was carried out to quantify the effect of a gravel-sand mulch material on soil water and soil temperature in the semiarid loess region of northwest China. The field experiment (April 4, 2001–July 12, 2001) consisted of two treatments: (1) no surface mulching as a control, and (2) gravel-sand surface-mulching. The numerical model HYDRUS-1D was used in the research reported in this paper. The results showed that compared with the nonmulched condition the gravel-sand mulched field had a more favorable soil-water and temperature environment for plant growth. In the initial stage of watermelon growth, there was larger soil-water storage (3.8 cm versus 1.9 cm) and soil temperature (10.8°C versus 6.2°C) in the 0–20 cm soil layer with the gravel-sand mulch. The mulch provided very beneficial water and temperature conditions for the germination of watermelon. The gravel-sand mulch improved soil-water conditions because it was effective in reducing evaporation and enhancing transpiration. The gravel-sand mulch also improved infiltration of rainwater. For the 0–20 cm soil layers the average temperature in the gravel-sand mulch field was 1.0–5.3°C larger than that in the no-mulch field. In the 20–40 cm soil layer, the average temperature in the gravel-sand mulch was 0.3–3.7°C larger than that in the no-mulch field. In the early stages of plant growth, plant roots primarily centralized in the 0–40 cm soil layer, and the temperatures under the mulch were conducive to plant growth and development. The field and model results consistently showed the value of a gravel-sand mulch to provide warm, moist conditions for watermelon production in the semiarid loess region of northwest China.
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Acknowledgments
The writers thank the reviewers for their helpful suggestions to improve this paper. This research was supported by the Program for National Basic Research Program of China (2010CB951101); NSSF (50939006,40830639); special funding of the Key Laboratory (1069-50985512), and a Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists, grant number 2009Z2-37.
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Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 11 • November 2013
Pages: 1484 - 1494
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 18, 2010
Accepted: May 26, 2011
Published online: May 28, 2011
Discussion open until: Oct 28, 2011
Published in print: Nov 1, 2013
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