Effects of different mulch materials on the photosynthetic characteristics, yield, and soil water use efficiency of wheat in Loess tableland

Due to the lack of precipitation and poor temporal and spatial stability in the Loess Plateau for a long time, it is necessary to adopt mulching technology to support the stable and high yield of wheat cultivation system. This study aims at exploring different mulching materials on the soil water content, photosynthetic characteristics, wheat yield, and yield components of winter wheat in the gully region of the Loess Plateau. The results showed that the traditional flat soil water content is the lowest in the seedling stage. In the jointing stage and heading stage of many crop water requirements, ridge film mulching treatment can effectively promote the growth of wheat and increase the water use efficiency. The leaf area index (LAI) of different treatments wheat showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. In the jointing stage, ordinary mulching film (T1) and liquid mulching film (T3) had the highest LAI content, which were 3.78 and 3.71 respectively. The Pn and Gs in wheat flag leaves of T3 treatment is higher than that of CK throughout the entire growth period, and T3 significantly increased Ci and WUEi in different growth stage. And the grain number per panicle and grain weight of T3 treatment were 24.44 and 41.00 g, which were 19.3% and 5.4% higher than CK, respectively. Through the actual production calculation of the final harvest, the ridge film mulching has a significant increase in production compared with the CK. The yield of T3 treatment was 4980.25 kg hm(−2), which was 29.37% higher than CK. It was significantly different from CK (P < 0.05). Based on the comprehensive analysis, the ridge film mulching treatment significantly affected the soil water content and wheat yield. And the liquid mulching film had the best effect. Exploring the impact of different covering techniques on the wheat cultivation system in the Loess Plateau region, to promote the scientific promotion of this technology.