Volume 1 (2025) 

The effects of summer fallow maize straw return on soil water dynamics and winter wheat yield in dryland fields

Yingying Yang, Huiying Xu, Chen Zhao, Gongliang Wu

Volume 1 (2025), Article ID: eip1v0309a 

Published: 2025-03-09 (Received: 2025-01-08; Revised: 2025-02-18; Accepted: 2025-03-08) 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15617135 

Citation

Yang Y, Xu H, Zhao C, Wu G. The effects of summer fallow maize straw return on soil water dynamics and winter wheat yield in dryland fields. Engineering Innovation and Practice, 2025, 1, eip1v0309a.

Abstract

The summer fallow period is a critical stage for water management in dryland agriculture. A field experiment was conducted in a dryland wheat field in southwestern China to clarify the role of maize straw return in improving soil water dynamics and enhancing winter wheat yield. Three treatments were established: no-tillage, maize straw return, and green manure. The differences in soil water storage, water consumption characteristics, and wheat production performance were compared. The results showed that, compared to no-tillage and maize green manure treatments, maize straw return significantly increased soil water storage in the 0–200 cm soil profile, with a particularly notable improvement in water-holding capacity in the 100–200 cm deep soil layer. Additionally, straw return reduced annual crop water consumption and significantly improved the efficiency of summer fallow rainfall retention. Regarding wheat production performance, the straw return treatment significantly increased the number of spikes and grains per spike, with biomass and grain yield increasing by 16.5% and 21.3%, respectively, compared to other treatments. Mechanistic analysis revealed that maize straw return effectively alleviated the constraints of soil water deficiency on crop growth by reducing soil evaporation, improving soil structure, and enhancing water use efficiency. This study provides theoretical support and practical guidance for efficient water utilization and yield improvement in winter wheat under dryland agricultural conditions.

Keywords

dryland agriculture, maize straw return, soil water dynamics, winter wheat yield, water use efficiency

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