Study on planting models of rainwater harvesting technique of mulched maize in arid areas

Six planting models on mulched maize in different years with varied rainfalls are studied. The results show that the trough bed, paralleled furrows, hole planting and mass planting are effective in rainwater harvesting and in improving the soil moisture content around the root zones. The rainwater harvesting efficiency varies with the different rainfall and models and increases 1.9～7.8mm comp ared with the CK. The grain yields increase by 12.7%～21.9% under different treat ments, among which the trough bed gives a best result, followed by paralleled fu rrows, hole planting and mass planting.