Effects of Surface Mulching on Soil Moisture,Soil Temperature and Tomato Growth in Hetao Irrigation Area

Compared with the control of bare surface,the effects of plastic-film mulching,corn-straw-only mulching,and film-plus-straw mulching on the soil temperature,soil moisture and the growth of tomato were monitored in Hetao irrigation area.The results showed that the plastic-film mulching increased the soil temperature,and corn-straw mulching and film-plus-straw mulching reduced the soil temperature.In comparison,corn-straw-only mulching exerted stronger effects than film-plus-straw mulching.All the mulching treatments resulted in increases of soil moisture within 0—50 cm in the early stage of tomato growth,while the plastic-film mulching was the best.The yields of tomato with plastic-film mulching and film-plus-straw mulching were 222.61% and 17.04% higher than the control,respectively.However,the yield with corn-straw mulching was 3.06% lower than the control.The water use efficiency under plastic-film mulching and film-plus-straw mulching were 93.83% and 5.90% higher than the control,respectively.Similarly,water use efficiency of corn-straw-only mulching was 19.29% lower than the control.The results indicated that the plastic-film mulching was suitable,and the corn-straw mulching was undesirable in sowing time for tomato production in Hetao irrigation area.