Minimizing environment footprint through half-plastic film mulch and straw incorporation in maize-based system.

Straw incorporation with half-plastic film mulch is a promising approach for enhancing soil quality in dryland farming. However, its effects on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) and NH 3 emissions remain poorly understood. This study aims to optimize the mulch practice to balance the plastic film input with comprehensive benefits and examine the temporal dynamics and influencing factors of soil GHG and NH 3 emissions. A 3-year field experiment was conducted in a wheat-maize cropping system in north-western China with a complete randomized design including three treatments replicated thrice: (a) no straw incorporation or half-plastic film mulch (CT), (b) straw incorporation without half-plastic film mulch (S), and (c) straw incorporation with half-plastic film mulch (SP). The study revealed that S treatment significantly enhanced crop yield and soil cumulative N 2 O, CO 2 , and NH 3 emissions during the maize season by 8.26%, 113.51%, 31.78%, and 64.92%, respectively, compared to CT treatment. SP treatment significantly decreased N 2 O and NH 3 emissions by 30.66% and 23.74%, respectively, and slightly stimulated CO 2 emissions by 8.73% relative to S treatment throughout the three maize seasons. The average maize yield gap between S and SP treatments ranged from 517 to 800 kg ha−1. N 2 O and NH 3 emissions were significantly associated with soil water content (SWC), soil N components, and enzyme activity (nitrate and nitrite reductase), whereas CO 2 emissions were significantly influenced by soil temperature. Compared with S treatment, half-plastic film mulch increased SWC (16.77%), reduced soil N content and inhibited activity of nitrate (12.15%) and nitrite reductase (8.40%), eventually mitigated straw incorporation-induced N 2 O and NH 3 emissions by 30.66% and 23.74%, respectively. Overall, we demonstrated that straw incorporation with half-plastic film mulch is an innovative practice for enhancing the sustainability of dryland farming by increasing maize yield and mitigating N 2 O and NH 3 emissions. [Display omitted] • Nitrogen cycle- related enzyme activities are key to regulating gas emissions. • S significantly increased N 2 O, CO 2 , and NH 3 emissions compared with CT. • SP significantly reduced N 2 O and NH 3 emissions and increased yield compared to S. • SP is an innovative practice for promoting the sustainability of dryland farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]