Drip irrigation lateral spacing and mulching affects the wetting pattern, shoot-root regulation, and yield of maize in a sand-layered soil

Frequent fertigation (i.e. once every three days) after jointing is preferentially recommended in a sand-layered field. A1M2 should be chosen for higher HI and low cost. If frequent fertigation is infeasible, A2M1 can be a good choice under low frequency fertigation.