Influence of plastic film mulch with biochar application on crop yield, evapotranspiration, and water use efficiency in northern China: A meta-analysis

Erastus Mak-Mensah; Peter Bilson Obour; Eunice Essel; Qi Wang; John K Ahiakpa

doi:10.7717/peerj.10967

Influence of plastic film mulch with biochar application on crop yield, evapotranspiration, and water use efficiency in northern China: A meta-analysis

PeerJ. 2021 Mar 3:9:e10967. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10967. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Erastus Mak-Mensah¹, Peter Bilson Obour², Eunice Essel³, Qi Wang¹, John K Ahiakpa⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China.
² Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana.
³ Department of Applied Biology, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Northern region, Ghana.
⁴ Research Desk Consulting Ltd, Accra, Ghana.

Abstract

Background: China is the leading consumer of plastic film worldwide. Plastic film mulched ridge-furrow is one of the most widely adopted agronomic and field management practices in rain-fed agriculture in dry-land areas of China. The efficiency of plastic film mulching as a viable method to decrease evapotranspiration (ET), increase crop yields, and water use efficiency (WUE), has been demonstrated extensively by earlier studies.

Methods: A comprehensive evaluation of how co-application of plastic-film mulch and biochar in different agro-environments under varying climatic conditions influence ET, crop yield, WUE, and soil microbial activity were assessed. We performed a meta-analysis using the PRISMA guideline to assess the effect of plastic-film mulched ridge-furrow and biochar on ET, yield, and WUE of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), and maize (Zea mays L.) in northern China.

Results: The use of plastic film increased average yields of wheat (75.7%), potato (20.2%), and maize (12.9%) in Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Shanxi provinces, respectively due to the reduction in ET by 12.8% in Gansu, 0.5% in Ningxia, and 4.1% in Shanxi, but increased in Shaanxi by 0.5% compared to no-mulching. These changes may be attributed to the effect of plastic film mulch application which simultaneously increased WUE by 68.5% in Gansu, 23.9% in Ningxia, 16.2% in Shaanxi, and 12.8% in Shanxi, respectively. Compared to flat planting without mulching, in three years, the yield of maize increased with the co-application of plastic film and biochar by 22.86% in the Shanxi and Shaanxi regions.

Conclusion: Our analysis revealed co-application of plastic film with biochar is integral for improving soil and water conservation in rain-fed agriculture and as an integrated practice to avert drought while simultaneously mitigating runoff and erosion.

Keywords: Biochar; Mulching; Plastic film; Soil fertility; Water conservation; Yield.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42061050 and 41661059). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.