Table 3.
Effects of different mulch plots on agronomic properties of maize during 2013–2014 at the Dryland Agricultural Research Station, Pengyang County, China.
| Year | Treatments | Ear length (cm) | Ear diameter (cm) | 100-kernel weight (g) | Grain number per ear | Shelling (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | FCM | 20.19a | 51.42ab | 42.56a | 608.48a | 86.30a |
| FLM | 18.73b | 49.04b | 39.73ab | 585.79bc | 82.58b | |
| FLSM | 19.26ab | 51.82a | 42.15a | 595.96abc | 84.10ab | |
| PM | 19.04b | 50.23ab | 35.19c | 605.31ab | 86.11a | |
| CK | 18.28b | 49.54ab | 36.03b | 582.71c | 81.91b | |
| 2014 | FCM | 19.52a | 52.38ab | 33.73a | 640.13a | 80.38a |
| FLM | 20.41a | 51.68ab | 32.50ab | 631.33a | 81.31ab | |
| FLSM | 20.10a | 52.75a | 34.85a | 633.09a | 82.82a | |
| PM | 19.49a | 50.40b | 30.55b | 578.39b | 80.40b | |
| CK | 18.15a | 46.34c | 26.07c | 574.35b | 77.01c |
CK, the control, conventional flat planting without plastic film mulch; PM, flat planting with maize rows (60 cm spacing) on plastic film mulch (70 cm wide); FCM, furrow planting of maize (60 cm spacing), separated by consecutive plastic film-mulched ridges (each 50 cm wide and 15 cm tall); FLSM, furrow planting of maize (60 cm spacing), separated by alternating large and small plastic film-mulched ridges (large ridges: 70 cm wide and 15 cm tall, small ridges 50 cm wide and 10 cm tall); FLM, furrow-flat planting of maize (60 cm spacing) with a large plastic film-mulched ridge (60 cm wide and 15 cm tall) alternating with a flat plastic film-mulched space (60 cm wide). Values followed by the different lowercase letter in the same row indicate significant differences among treatments for each year (Tukey HSD test, p < 0.05).