Mechanization of deep tillage and mulching to improve soil water content and spring maize yield

Areas of northern China are arid, and soil moisture content and fertility are low at the time of planting of maize. A solution was proposed to address this problem. After harvesting in the autumn, the soil is tilled to create deep furrows which are filled with straw and fertilizer, and then backfilled to form ridges that are mulched with a plastic film. In the coming spring the maize will be seeded by puncture the membranes. A series of machines were designed and developed for this technology. Field tests were conducted and the performance of the machines were calculated and analyzed. Some shortcomings of the machines were found and the new machines were developed. Some field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of field management practices on soil water and maize yield in west Liaoning province. The field management practices included traditional tillage (CK) and alternating ridges deeply buried straw and mulched with plastic film and bare furrows (DM). The DM treatment significantly increased the soil water content in the upper 40cm soil layer throughout maize growing season, compared with the CK treatment.