Changes in Calcareous Soil Activity, Nutrient Availability, and Corn Productivity Due to The Integrated Effect of Straw Mulch and Irrigation Regimes

Sustainable agricultural production is mainly attributed to healthy soils. Calcareous soils, especially in arid and semiarid areas, suffer from low organic matter and nutrient availability. Low organic matter could degrade soil with reducing the crop productivity. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the integrated effect of soil mulch and irrigation on soil activity, nutrient availability, and potentiality of corn yield under calcareous soil conditions. In a calcareous soil, two mulching soil treatments (mulch and non-mulch) as well as three irrigation regimes, applied as ratio of crop evapotranspiration (60, 80, and 100%, denoted I60, I80, and I100, respectively), were arranged in a strip plot design based on completely randomized block arrangement using 3 replicates. Mulching soil plus irrigation by I80 achieved the maximum increases in organic carbon, organic matter, and soil activity. Higher values of NH4+–N form were detected with non-mulch and irrigation by I100 or I60. Lower Zn content was obtained in soil due to mulch or non-mulch plus irrigation I100. With lowering irrigation level by 20% (I80) and by application of mulch, the increases in weight of ear, weight of 100 kernels, and kernel yield of corn amounted to 5.4, 4.6, and 16.1%, respectively. Results from the present study conclude that adoption of soil mulching in corn production system plus moderate irrigation (80% of crop evapotranspiration) is considered a promising management practice for amending calcareous soils, saving irrigation water, and sustaining/boosting soil productivity in arid zones.