Effect of tillage and mulch on maize yield and soil temperature in paddy field.

In order to reveal the effect of tillage and mulch on the soil temperature,plant growth and development,and yield of maize in paddy field,field split-plot experiments for spring maize and autumn maize were carried out with tillage as the main plot and mulch as the subplot in Baitu town,Liling county of Hunan Province in 2008.The results showed as followings:no-tillage is benefit for increase soil temperature than conventional tillage,0cm-25cm soil temperature increased by 0.1 ° C-0.2° C,0.5° C-1.5° C on no-tillage than conventional tillage in spring and autumn maize,respectively.No significant statistics was observed for yields.It is clear cooling and stable temperature on straw mulching,which benefit with maize growth and development,and increase yield.Obvious soil temperature risen was observed under plastic mulching,which in favor of ahead seeding in spring maize,further growth and the extend of leaf area in early period and the accumulation of dry matter.It is basic to gain high yield.