Mulch effects on rainfall interception, soil physical characteristics and temperature under Zea mays L.

Application of organic amendment to the soil surface is widely used in order to ameliorate topsoil physical conditions, especially with respect to temperature, evaporation and water content. Water intercepted by mulch and crop canopy involves loss through evaporation that never replenishes the soil water. In this study, hydrological and temperature conditions beneath mulches of manufactured materials, organic waste, wheat straw (Tritium aestivum L.) and soybean straw (Glycine max L. Merrill) applied at different thickness were investigated in glasshouse and field conditions in southern England. Interception loss by a maize (Zea mays L.) canopy and mulch modified the soil water balance by adversely affecting soil water content beneath thicker application. Mulching had a beneficial effect on soil water and temperature regimes. These findings are important for identifying mulching practices for dryland agriculture and under scenarios of climatic change that predict lower rainfall and higher temperatures in summer. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.