Response of soil moisture and water use efficiency to straw mulching amount and mulching period in black soil zone of northeast China

Abstract To reveal the mechanisms of straw mulching amounts and mulching periods on soil moisture in the black soil zone of Northeast China. Three types of straw mulching (0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 kg/m2) and two mulching periods (sowing stage and three-leaf stage) were set up as interactive experiments, and no straw mulching was used as the control (CK) to analyze the response mechanisms of soil moisture content, water consumption, and water use efficiency to straw mulching periods and mulching amounts at different depths. The results showed that straw mulching improved the moisture storage capacity compared with no straw mulching, and the straw mulching rate of 0.8 kg/m2 at the three-leaf stage improved the moisture storage capacity and reduced the water consumption capacity compared with the straw mulching at the sowing stage, CK and other straw mulching treatments at the three-leaf stage; the crop yield and water use efficiency increased and then decreased with the increase of straw mulching. The increase of crop yield and water use efficiency under the straw mulching treatments at the three-leaf stage was higher than that under the same straw mulching treatments at the sowing stage. The analysis of the dual effects of straw mulching amounts and mulching periods on moisture gain and loss showed that the straw mulching amounts of 0.8 kg/m2 at the three-leaf stage had the best effect on soil moisture characteristics and water use efficiency.