Table 2.
Effect of mulching methods on the root diameter and root length at soil layer 0–60 cm for 2022 and 2023 corn growth stages (VT and R6).
| Year | Soil Layer | Treatment | VT | R6 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root Diameter (cm) |
Root Length (m) |
Root Diameter (cm) |
Root Length (m) |
|||
| 2022 | 0–20 cm | FSS | 5.89a | 63.18a | 3.74a | 54.63a |
| UPM | 5.54b | 48.36b | 3.55b | 47.88a | ||
| CK | 4.12c | 41.32b | 2.13c | 36.16b | ||
| 20–40 cm | FSS | 1.83a | 19.14a | 1.69a | 18.36a | |
| UPM | 1.68b | 17.14a | 1.78a | 16.72a | ||
| CK | 1.32c | 13.04b | 0.76b | 11.23b | ||
| 40–60 cm | FSS | 0.79a | 10.2a | 0.61a | 11.48a | |
| UPM | 0.63b | 8.31b | 0.54a | 8.09a | ||
| CK | 0.51c | 4.91c | 0.30b | 6.03b | ||
| 2023 | 0–20 cm | FSS | 5.83a | 66.79a | 2.84a | 48.11a |
| UPM | 5.63b | 60.24b | 2.59b | 43.52a | ||
| CK | 5.33c | 44.19c | 2.37c | 36.44b | ||
| 20–40 cm | FSS | 1.73a | 25.46a | 1.23a | 16.88a | |
| UPM | 1.51b | 18.62b | 0.95b | 15.30a | ||
| CK | 0.82c | 12.74c | 0.62c | 10.57b | ||
| 40–60 cm | FSS | 0.85a | 13.45a | 0.54a | 12.25a | |
| UPM | 0.70a | 9.22b | 0.50a | 7.70b | ||
| CK | 0.53b | 6.52c | 0.38b | 5.69b | ||
| Year | ns | ns | * | ns | ||
| Soil Layer | ** | ** | ** | ** | ||
| Treatment | ** | ** | ** | ** | ||
| Year × Soil Layer | * | ns | * | ** | ||
| Year × Treatment | ** | ns | * | ns | ||
| Soil Layer × Treatment | ** | ** | ** | * | ||
VT, tasseling stage; R6, physiological maturity stage. Means with different letters in the same column are significantly different at P < 0.05. NS: not significant; * significant at the 0.05 probability level; ** significant at the 0.01 probability level.