Mulching effects on water storage in soil and its depletion by alfalfa in the Loess Plateau of northwestern China

• A 5-year field experiment was carried out in the Loess Plateau of northwestern China.
• Soil depth of alfalfa water uptake went down to deep soil quickly.
• Effects of mulch management on water storage in soil and water use efficiency were evaluated.
• Straw mulch works better than gravel mulch in alfalfa planting.

In the dryland region of the Loess Plateau of northern China, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is widely grown for animal feed to develop livestock operations, while also reducing soil erosion and improving soil fertility/quality. A field experiment was carried out on a sandy loam soil from April 2007 to October 2012 to evaluate the processes of soil desiccation in the 500 cm soil profiles, and the effects of mulch management on soil water content and temperature in the upper soil layer (5–15 cm), water use efficiency (WUE) and forage dry matter yield (DMY) of alfalfa in rainfed pasture land. Three treatments were: no mulch control, gravel mulch and corn straw mulch. Corn straw and gravel were chosen, because these materials can be obtained easily in this region. Soil depth of water uptake by alfalfa moved down to deep soil quickly and seasonal rainfall became the main contributing factor after 5 years. The presence of straw on the soil surface reduced the maximum temperature, but it increased the minimum diurnal soil temperature. Straw mulch was more effective in regulating soil temperature than gravel in the pasture planting. Straw mulch and gravel mulch both enhanced soil water content at the 15 cm depth. Straw mulch increased forage DMY of alfalfa by 420 kg ha−1 (by 6.7%) compared to no mulch control over the four growing seasons from 2009 to 2012, and gravel mulch reduced the forage DMY by 36 kg ha−1 (by 0.5%) during that period, but effects were not significant statistically. Straw mulch increased concentration of nitrate-N and available P in the upper soil layer significantly, and improved WUE. In conclusion, the findings suggest that alfalfa could extract water from progressively deeper soil layers and straw mulch was effective in minimizing fluctuations in soil temperature, and increasing water storage in surface shallow soil layers, forage yield and water use efficiency of alfalfa. Mulching grass hedges intercropping or contour hedgerow intercropping should be considered on sloping land.