Ecological Effects Of Water-permeability Plastic Membrane On Maize In Dryland

Dryland is characterized by rain-fed and the low efficiency of water utility. Mulch farming provides an approach for solving the problem. Water-permeability plastic membrane is a new kind of membrane aimed at increasing the efficiency of water utility, based on validating small rainfall. The treatments used in this study were water-permeability plastic membrane (WPPM) mulching, normal plastic membrane mulching, straw mulching and no any mulching. The results in the efficiency of water utility by maize, the growth and development processes and the yields of maize under different treatments showed that:WPPM was better than the others on the soil moisture content through improving autumn rainfall penetration into soil vertically, while it also blocked evaporation as normal plastic membrane did, so the soil moisture was maximum before seeding. Especially during the seedling, the favorable soil moisture content of WPPM was the foundation for the following growth and development processes. The efficiency of water utility during the mulching, the coefficient of stress and the valid efficiency of water utility in the growth and development processes of WPPM mulching were better than the others.The maize covered with WPPM had wealthy and unisonous growth processes, for instance, the areas of leafage groups of root, stem and ear had a better proportion (1:5.79:3.79). By contrast with the WPPM, the other treatments, especially the straw mulching, both of the root and the leafage can not get sufficient growth before July because of the low temperature, and after then, there was plentiful rainfall, so the leafage and stems still accumulated the assimilation products that should be distributed to ear. that led to the reductions of their economic outputs.The yield of maize covered with WPPM was the highest. Those of normal plastic membrane mulching, straw mulching and no any mulching were in that order.