Effects of Different Mulch Types on Farmland Soil Moisture in an Artificial Oasis Area

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Although, so far, similar research has been done on some mulches, including these mulches, individually in China, But in this article, a comprehensive review has been done. there are some problems or ambiguities that need to be answered or corrected

1-Figure 2 shows that there was temperature difference of more than 10 degrees during the implementation of the project. Also, the relative humidity has changed from about 20 to 80 percent. In addition to this, the simultaneity of rainfall and irrigation in some humidity measurement periods can affect the comparison of two irrigation periods. Do you think these changes have no effect on your research results? For this reason, it would be better to specify sunny or cloudy days during the research.

 -2In introduction (paragraph number 2-2):  it would have been better to mention the type and characteristics of mulches. And also, the date of two irrigations be written.

3-In figure 4 line 150:  "R1: 1st day after rainfall" It shows that it rained on the 8-18, so the soil moisture content cannot be considered 5 days after irrigation. Because it has rained on that day and soil moisture should show more.

4-In Table 2 for Variations in soil moisture at different soil layers, Why is the average of 4 types of mulches considered? While different from each other.

5- Also, I have specified some items as annotations in the article, please see them as well.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Review Report

Although, so far, similar research has been done on some mulches, including these mulches, individually in China, But in this article, a comprehensive review has been done. there are some problems or ambiguities that need to be answered or corrected.

Response:Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions on our research. We are deeply honoured by your concerns and professional insights. We will do our best to answer and correct any questions or ambiguities you mention. We will scrutinise possible ambiguities in the text and clarify them accordingly in our revisions. We are also open to receiving more detailed guidance on specific issues to ensure that our research is more accurate and compelling. Whilst a comprehensive review has been undertaken in the writing of this paper, and relevant aspects of existing research have been taken into account wherever possible. However, we also recognise that there are inevitably some shortcomings and limitations in our study, and we will make improvements and refinements based on the reviewers' feedback. Once again, we thank the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions.

 

1. Figure 2 shows that there was temperature difference of more than 10 degrees during the implementation of the project. Also, the relative humidity has changed from about 20 to 80 percent. In addition to this, the simultaneity of rainfall and irrigation in some humidity measurement periods can affect the comparison of two irrigation periods. Do you think these changes have no effect on your research results? For this reason, it would be better to specify sunny or cloudy days during the research.

Response: Regarding your reference to changes in temperature differences, relative humidity, and rainfall and irrigation during certain humidity measurement periods, we have carefully considered changes in these environmental conditions. Firstly, we have taken these factors into account in our study design and show the daily variation of these factors in Figure 2. The purpose of our experiment was to simulate the process of soil moisture changes under real-world conditions, and the variation of these environmental factors was part of our interest. Although fluctuations in temperature and humidity may have had some impact on some of the experimental results, we believe that this realistic environmental simulation contributes to a more complete understanding of the response of soil water content. Secondly, regarding the case of simultaneous rainfall and irrigation, this may introduce additional variability in the time period of soil water content measurements. To address this issue and reduce additional data errors, we firstly screened out parallel samples that were subjected to both irrigation and precipitation recharge on the day of the unexpected rainfall, and secondly avoided direct comparisons of the contrast between the effects of the two irrigation events on soil water content, instead focusing on the presence or absence of mulch or different types of mulch. Parallel studies were conducted on experimental plots with different mulch types under the same climatic conditions. Finally, although the designation of sunny or cloudy days during the study period may have reduced the variability of environmental conditions, this study was committed to understanding the effects of different mulch types on soil moisture under actual farm conditions, and therefore maintained an attitude of acceptance of the variability of environmental conditions. We will carefully consider the suggestions you made and try to improve and refine our future studies as much as possible. Thank you again for your valuable comments and suggestions.

2. In introduction (paragraph number 2-2): it would have been better to mention the type and characteristics of mulches. And also, the date of two irrigations be written.

Response:

(1)We have added the types and characteristics of membranes to the introductory section of the manuscript based on your suggestions: In this study, we used four types of mulch, namely liquid mulch (LM), biodegradable mulch (BM), ordinary black mulch (OBM) and ordinary white mulch (OWM). Liquid mulch (LM) and biodegradable mulch (BM) are new types of mulching materials. The former is made of a mixture of materials with biodegradable properties, which can fix topsoil and retain heat and moisture; the latter is mainly composed of biodegradable polymer materials, which will completely degrade within 60 to 180 days, without polluting the soil, and the degraded products are beneficial to crop growth. The main component of ordinary mulch film is polyethylene, which has the characteristics of waterproof, heat preservation, moisture preservation, anti-aging and UV resistance, but it is not easy to be degraded, and may cause pollution to the environment after use, so it is necessary to pay attention to environmental protection issues.

(2)Added the timing of two irrigation and rainfall events to Data and Methods: Two irrigation events and one rainfall event were observed consecutively during the experimental observation period, the first irrigation was carried out on 8.2 with 6.3 cubic metres of water, the second irrigation was carried out on 8.13 with 7.8 cubic metres of water, and the rainfall event occurred on 8.18. In addition there were unexpected rainfall events during the study period (8/02, 8/03, 8/18, 8/21, 8/22), and in order to increase the confidence of the data, on the day of the unexpected rainfall, we used soil samples collected before the rainfall and excluded some of the parallel samples, which were subject to large data errors because the soil moisture in these samples originated from both irrigation and precipitation.

3. In figure 4 line 150:  "R1: 1st day after rainfall" It shows that it rained on the 8-18, so the soil moisture content cannot be considered 5 days after irrigation. Because it has rained on that day and soil moisture should show more.

Response: We used soil samples collected before the rainfall on 8.18, so the 8.18 samples can be used as data 5 days after the second irrigation, as well as before the rainfall. The confusion you raised is a result of me not describing the timing of the irrigation and rainfall events clearly in the data and methods section, which I have added to the original manuscript: Two irrigation events and one rainfall event were observed consecutively during the experimental observation period, the first irrigation was carried out on 8.2 with 6.3 cubic metres of water, the second irrigation was carried out on 8.13 with 7.8 cubic metres of water, and the rainfall event occurred on 8.18. In addition there were unexpected rainfall events during the study period (8/02, 8/03, 8/18, 8/21, 8/22), and in order to increase the confidence of the data, on the day of the unexpected rainfall, we used soil samples collected before the rainfall and excluded some of the parallel samples, which were subject to large data errors because the soil moisture in these samples originated from both irrigation and precipitation.

4. In Table 2 for Variations in soil moisture at different soil layers, Why is the average of 4 types of mulches considered? While different from each other.

Response: Because Table 2 is presented to support the topic of Article 3.1 (soil moisture changes with and without mulch), we ignored the effect of different types of mulch on soil moisture and focused on whether or not the mulch was applied, so we averaged the soil moisture content under the four different types of mulch.

5. Also, I have specified some items as annotations in the article, please see them as well.

Response: In response to the questions and suggestions you have marked in the attachment, we will answer and improve them one by one:

• L99-100:What were the mulches type? Were they powdered and mixed with water or plastic mulch, emulsion or .......? It would have been better to mention the type and characteristics of mulches.

Response:We have added the types and characteristics of mulch in the introduction as per your suggestion: In this study, we used four types of mulch, namely liquid mulch (LM), biodegradable mulch (BM), ordinary black mulch (OBM) and ordinary white mulch (OWM). Liquid mulch (LM) and biodegradable mulch (BM) are new types of mulching materials. The former is made of a mixture of materials with biodegradable properties, which can fix topsoil and retain heat and moisture; the latter is mainly composed of biodegradable polymer materials, which will completely degrade within 60 to 180 days, without polluting the soil, and the degraded products are beneficial to crop growth. The main component of ordinary mulch film is polyethylene, which has the characteristics of waterproof, heat preservation, moisture preservation, anti-aging and UV resistance, but it is not easy to be degraded, and may cause pollution to the environment after use, so it is necessary to pay attention to environmental protection issues.

• L108-109: What date was the first and second irrigation? The date of irrigation should be written.Have irrigation and rainfall occurred at the same time in a day? If yes, the amount of water released will be more than the intelligent water meters.

Response:I provide an additional description in the Data and Methods 2.2 section to answer your question: two irrigation events and one rainfall event were observed consecutively during the experimental observation period, the first irrigation was carried out on 8.2 with 6.3 cubic metres of water, the second one was carried out on 8.13 with 7.8 cubic metres of water, and the rainfall event occurred on 8.18. In addition there were unexpected rainfall events during the study period (8/02, 8/03, 8/18, 8/21, 8/22), and in order to increase the confidence of the data, on the day of the unexpected rainfall, we used soil samples collected before the rainfall and excluded some of the parallel samples, which were subject to large data errors because the soil moisture in these samples originated from both irrigation and precipitation.

(3) L130：Table 2 ,Figure 2 shows that on the first day after irrigation you had about 6 mm of rain. 

Response：A rainfall event occurred on the first day after the first irrigation, and your labelled value of 20.9 for the soil moisture content of the test field with no film cover, compared to the relatively low value of 27.4 for the test field with no film cover on 8.14, does not seem to make sense. Firstly, when we compare the soil moisture content before the two irrigation events, the soil moisture content was 7.8 on 8.1 and 10.9 on 8.11, the base of soil moisture content before the first irrigation was lower than that before the second one, and secondly, the amount of water in the two irrigation events was less in the first one than in the second one, so we believe that the data obtained from our sampling is within the range of reasonableness.

(4) L130：Where is R3? why? for precipitation?

Response：The data collected on the third day after the rainfall had deviated from the error interval due to a major error in the sample preservation process, therefore, in order to ensure the scientific validity and rigour of the study, we decided, after consideration, not to adopt the data collected on that day.

(5) L150："R1: 1st day after rainfall"  It shows that it rained on the 8-18, so the soil moisture content cannot be considered 5 days after irrigation because it rained on that day and soil moisture should show more.

Response：In response to your query, we provide an additional description in Data and Methods section 2.2：Two irrigation events and one rainfall event were observed consecutively during the experimental observation period, the first irrigation was carried out on 8.2 with 6.3 cubic metres of water, the second irrigation was carried out on 8.13 with 7.8 cubic metres of water, and the rainfall event occurred on 8.18. In addition there were unexpected rainfall events during the study period (8/02, 8/03, 8/18, 8/21, 8/22), and in order to increase the confidence of the data, on the day of the unexpected rainfall, we used soil samples collected before the rainfall and excluded some of the parallel samples, which were subject to large data errors because the soil moisture in these samples originated from both irrigation and precipitation.

• L161：which Mulch?Is there an average of 4 types of mulch?

Response：This refers to an average of four types of mulch, namely liquid mulch (LM), biodegradable mulch (BM), ordinary black mulch (OBM) and ordinary white mulch (OWM).

(7)L173-174：As you know, evaporation decreases or increases under the influence of sun and wind.Were the weather conditions the same (sunny or cloudy) during the research?

Response：We recognise that evapotranspiration may decrease or increase under the influence of sun and wind. Weather conditions varied during the study period, but we chose a uniform time to take samples from soils with different mulch types for a parallel and comparative moisture study. We believe that under the same weather conditions, evapotranspiration must be greater in soils without a mulch relative to soils with a mulch. This is the significance of our study. Our study aims to understand the effect of different mulch types on soil moisture under actual farm conditions. The effect of climatic conditions can be ignored in our comparison samples sampled during the same period because we only made parallel comparisons between soils with different mulch types, not vertical comparisons between the first and second irrigations.

(8) L202:Plastic mulch has different conditions with liquid or emulsion mulches.

Response：Your marking caught our attention, plastic mulch has different conditions than liquid or latex mulch, the main difference between plastic mulch and liquid or emulsified mulch is the material they are made of and how they are applied. Plastic mulch is usually applied to the soil surface in the form of a film or sheet of plastic and is mainly used for insulation, moisture retention and weed suppression. Liquid or emulsified mulches, on the other hand, are sprayed on the soil surface in the form of a liquid and are usually used for moisture retention and weed suppression. As a result, they can be applied differently and with different results. The characteristics of the different types of mulch we have also added in the introduction section: In this study, we used four types of mulch, namely liquid mulch (LM), biodegradable mulch (BM), ordinary black mulch (OBM) and ordinary white mulch (OWM). Liquid mulch (LM) and biodegradable mulch (BM) are new types of mulching materials. The former is made of a mixture of materials with biodegradable properties, which can fix topsoil and retain heat and moisture; the latter is mainly composed of biodegradable polymer materials, which will completely degrade within 60 to 180 days, without polluting the soil, and the degraded products are beneficial to crop growth. The main component of ordinary mulch film is polyethylene, which has the characteristics of waterproof, heat preservation, moisture preservation, anti-aging and UV resistance, but it is not easy to be degraded, and may cause pollution to the environment after use, so it is necessary to pay attention to environmental protection issues.

(9) L210:Is it possible to use these mulches on a wide scale of agriculture?

Response：Mulching can be widely used in agricultural cultivation, but it should be applied flexibly according to the actual cultivation needs. In the cold season or at high altitudes, mulch can raise soil temperatures and promote crop growth and early harvesting. It is suitable for all soil types, and is particularly effective on light, sandy or erosion-prone soils. It can reduce the evaporation of soil water, which helps to maintain soil moisture; effectively inhibit weed growth and reduce the labour intensity of weeding; reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and improve the utilization rate of fertilizers; slow down soil erosion and protect soil quality. It is suitable for vegetables, fruit trees and some crops that are sensitive to the soil environment. However, the purchase and use of mulch needs to be considered for economic viability, including economic benefits associated with yield enhancement and resource conservation: mulch use generates waste and has some environmental impacts that need to be considered in the context of environmental sustainability and soil ecosystem health; prolonged use may affect soil aeration and microbial activity, and mulch requires regular maintenance and management, including installation, cleaning and disposal. Farmers need to have adequate management skills to ensure effective use of mulch. Therefore, the advantages and disadvantages of using mulch need to be fully weighed, taking into account specific cropping conditions and needs before making a decision.

(10) L313:it was better that You checked the amount of rainfall in the mulch penetration rate. Does the amount of rainfall have an effect on the penetration rate?

Response：Firstly, in actual agricultural cultivation, rainfall does not directly determine the permeability of mulch. The permeability of mulch is affected by a number of factors, including the permeability of the mulch material, the soil type, the condition of the mulch, and the intensity and duration of rainfall. The response of different soil types to rainfall infiltration is also a key factor. Some soils may be more permeable, while others may be more difficult to infiltrate due to their compact structure or high water content. Also, deteriorated, damaged or uneven cover of mulch may reduce its water permeability, and intense and prolonged rainfall may cause moisture to accumulate on the surface of the mulch beyond its permeability, leading to water retention rather than infiltration. The moisture content of the soil also affects rainwater infiltration, and when the soil is saturated, the permeability of the mulch may no longer be the main factor limiting water infiltration.

Secondly, different types of mulch film have different effects on rainfall infiltration due to their different materials. Polythene mulch membranes are made of relatively water-resistant materials and therefore limit rainfall infiltration into the subsurface soil to some extent, which may lead to accumulation of rainfall on the surface and increase the potential for runoff. As a result, there is a slight increase in surface soil moisture under polythene mulch compared to several other mulch types, which is associated with slight runoff infiltration. In contrast, biodegradable and liquid mulch films are relatively permeable and absorb rainwater more readily compared to polythene.

Finally, different types of membranes have different infiltration rates by default, so the actual sampling results indicate that soils under polythene mulch are affected by lower rainfall compared to other membranes.

(11) L329：.........and also prevent soil erosion

Response：We take your suggestion and add it where indicated in the original text, see L342-345.

(12) L347:I had seen something like this in the agricultural lands of Wuwei, Gansu Province, in 2004 (in cotton and maize farms), which was said plastic film. Is this mulch the same?

Response：OWM is a common white mulch made of polyethylene, which has the longest history of use among these types of mulch we studied. The use of polyethylene ground cover in Chinese agricultural cultivation can be traced back to the early 1980s (Kasirajan & Ngouajio, 2012; Xiong et al., 2019). At that time, China began to introduce and promote polyethylene mulching technology, which was mainly used to improve crop yield and quality, improve soil environment, increase soil temperature, reduce water evaporation and inhibit weed growth. With the continuous improvement and promotion of the technology, the application of polythene mulch has gradually become popular in Chinese agricultural production and has become an important technical means of agricultural cultivation. At present, polyethylene mulching technology is still used in Chinese agricultural production, especially in protected mulching, dry-farming mulching and drip irrigation. Although there are many new generations of films available, polyethylene film is still very attractive to agricultural producers, both in terms of its functionality and its cost-effectiveness. Based on the time and location you provided (Zhou ert al., 2012), we assume that the film you saw is OWM.

 

Reference：

Kasirajan, S., & Ngouajio, M. (2012). Polyethylene and biodegradable mulches for agricultural applications: a review. Agronomy for sustainable development, 32, 501-529.

Xiong, Y., Zhang, Q., Chen, X., Bao, A., Zhang, J., & Wang, Y. (2019). Large scale agricultural plastic mulch detecting and monitoring with multi-source remote sensing data: a case study in Xinjiang, China. Remote Sensing, 11(18), 2088.

Zhou, L. M., Jin, S. L., Liu, C. A., Xiong, Y. C., Si, J. T., Li, X. G., ... & Li, F. M. (2012). Ridge-furrow and plastic-mulching tillage enhances maize–soil interactions: Opportunities and challenges in a semiarid agroecosystem. Field crops research, 126, 181-188.

• L361:have these 2 mulch used in this areas?

Response：These two types of membranes, which have been implemented for use in the region (Jingtai Irrigation District), were sampled for our study based on local conditions, and the photographs in Figures 1 and 3 were taken by us in the field.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This research article was well edited based on author(s)'s original resrarch results.

Since there were critical problems and editing errors, this research article should have to revise completely before the publication of one of research articles in international journal, "Land".

Please refer followings.

[Major reversion]

1) Figure 1. The teritory of China in Figure 1. (Right and top part)

International journals are belong to scientific fields not to political fields.

All researchers should have to follow international law and manners in the fields of science.

Permanent Court of Arbitration(PCA) judged that "Paracel islands" and "Spratly islands" were not include in China's maritime territory on July 12, 2016.

Author(s) need to consider above mentioned international judgement and then revise Figure 1.

Unless I think that the editorial board must reject this research article in order to keep international laws and manners.

2) Keywords

Please use only important words at least 5 words as "Keywords".

Author(s) need to add one words more as "Keywords".

3) Objective(s)

Author(s) need to consider why is this research important in the view point of globalization not a specific area or a nation.

Then author(s) need to revise the objective(s) of this research based on the view point of globalization.

4) Conclusions

So what? Where and how can we apply based on the results of this research article?

Author(s) need to revise based on the consideration avobe mentioned questions.

Besides, author(s) may add the applicability of this research also.

[Minor reversion]

5) Effective numbers(EFNs) in Table 1 and Table 2.

Please use same effective numbers at least 3 or more in a Figure or Table.

EFNs 2: 7.8, 8.2 etc.

EFNs 3: 15.0, 0.112, 100 etc

6) Broken image in Figure 6.

I could not evaluate this figure due to broken image.

Editorial board need to check Figure 6 carefully.

7) References

If possible, please use more recent references within 5 years.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of english language may be required.

Author Response

Review Report

This research article was well edited based on author(s)'s original resrarch results.Since there were critical problems and editing errors, this research article should have to revise completely before the publication of one of research articles in international journal, "Land".Please refer followings. 

Response：We would like to thank the reviewers for carefully reviewing our research and providing valuable suggestions. We appreciate your recognition of the original research findings and understand the importance of the critical problems and editorial errors you have pointed out. We will carefully consider your suggestions to ensure that the research article is fully revised prior to publication in the journal Land. We will scrutinise and fix all existing problems, including but not limited to editorial errors and critical issues. We guarantee that we will demonstrate full good faith in the revision process to ensure the quality and accuracy of the research. When making revisions, we will focus on the critical issues you have mentioned and clearly demonstrate our approach to these issues in the revised manuscript. In addition, we will ensure that the structure and presentation of the article is clearer and more accurate to improve reader understanding and acceptance. Thank you again for your review and suggestions, and we look forward to working with you to ensure that the research article is fully improved and successfully published in the journal Land.

[Major reversion]

• Figure 1. The teritory of China in Figure 1. (Right and top part)International journals are belong to scientific fields not to political fields.All researchers should have to follow international law and manners in the fields of science. Permanent Court of Arbitration(PCA) judged that "Paracel islands" and "Spratly islands" were not include in China's maritime territory on July 12, 2016. Author(s) need to consider above mentioned international judgement and then revise Figure 1. Unless I think that the editorial board must reject this research article in order to keep international laws and manners.

Response：We are committed to ensuring the rigour and legitimacy of our research so that it meets the highest standards of the international scientific community. We understand and respect the judgement of the international community, in particular the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on 12 July 2016 regarding the 'Paracel Islands' and 'Spratly Islands'. We will revise Figure 1 to reflect this international judgement and to ensure that the information in the illustration is accurate and appropriate in the scientific realm. We are replacing the original map of China's national boundaries with a map of the world's borders, with the location of our research within China labelled as detailed below:

 

• KeywordsPlease use only important words at least 5 words as "Keywords".Author(s) need to add one words more as "Keywords".

Response: We add one keyword based on our research: maize field

 

• Objective(s)Author(s) need to consider why is this research important in the view point of globalization not a specific area or a nation.Then author(s) need to revise the objective(s) of this research based on the view point of globalization.  

Response: We have modified the research objectives of this study from a global perspective based on your suggestions: The study is not only applicable to global man-made oasis areas, including arid and desert regions, but also has wide applicability under different climatic conditions. Managing soil moisture on farmland in different geographical areas is critical for crop growth and agricultural production. This study aims to promote scientific soil moisture management and effective mulch type selection to directly guide agricultural practices and provide scientific support for agricultural policies, thereby improving agricultural productivity and sustainability in artificial oasis regions. In the context of addressing the challenges of global climate change and resource scarcity, and through an in-depth study of the effects of different mulch types on soil moisture, this research provides viable technical and management options for global agriculture and promotes sustainable agricultural development.

• ConclusionsSo what? Where and how can we apply based on the results of this research article?Author(s) need to revise based on the consideration avobe mentioned questions.Besides, author(s) may add the applicability of this research also.  

Response: We add to the introductory section based on your suggestions for the research applicability of this study from a global perspective: The study is not only applicable to global man-made oasis areas, including arid and desert regions, but also has wide applicability under different climatic conditions. Managing soil moisture on farmland in different geographical areas is critical for crop growth and agricultural production. This study aims to promote scientific soil moisture management and effective mulch type selection to directly guide agricultural practices and provide scientific support for agricultural policies, thereby improving agricultural productivity and sustainability in artificial oasis regions. In the context of addressing the challenges of global climate change and resource scarcity, and through an in-depth study of the effects of different mulch types on soil moisture, this research provides viable technical and management options for global agriculture and promotes sustainable agricultural development.

[Minor reversion]

• Effective numbers(EFNs) in Table 1 and Table 2.Please use same effective numbers at least 3 or more in a Figure or Table. EFNs 2: 7.8, 8.2 etc. EFNs 3: 15.0, 0.112, 100 etc   

Response: In accordance with your suggestions, we have revised the relevant values in tables 1 and 2: 7.8 (7.80), 8.2 (8.20), 6.3 (6.30), 9.0 (9.00), 8.1 (8.10), 9.7 (9.70), and 8.7 (8.70).

• Broken image in Figure 6.I could not evaluate this figure due to broken image.Editorial board need to check Figure 6 carefully. 

Response: According to your comments, we check the figure 6 file did not find broken, we think the cause of your inability to assess the reason may be that the picture clarity is not enough, I have been adjusted in accordance with the picture clarity, adjusted picture is as follows:

 

 

 

• ReferencesIf possible, please use more recent references within 5 years.Minor editing of english language may be required. 

Response：We have updated and deleted all references in the manuscript based on your suggestions, we did not revise the references because the study had a major impact in the field and was an important historical turning point, all other references have been updated (references we have revised are in blue font):

 

1.FAO, Portocarrero-Aya, M., Hinkes, C., 2019. The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture.

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3.Gavrilescu, M. (2021). Water, soil, and plants interactions in a threatened environment. Water, 13(19), 2746.

4.Mahmood, N., Arshad, M., Kächele, H., Ma, H., Ullah, A., & Müller, K, 2019. Wheat yield response to input and socioeconomic factors under changing climate: Evidence from rainfed environments of Pakistan. Sci. Total Environ. 688, 1275-1285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.266

5.Zhao, W., Cui, Z., & Zhou, C, 2020. Spatiotemporal variability of soil–water content at different depths in fields mulched with gravel for different planting years. J. Hydrol. 590, 125253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125253

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8.Yue, D., Zhou, Y., Guo, J., Chao, Z., & Guo, X. (2022). Relationship between net primary productivity and soil water content in the Shule River Basin. Catena, 208, 105770.

9.Zhao, D., Liu, W., Gao, R., Zhang, P., Li, M., Wu, P., & Zhuo, L. (2023). Spatiotemporal evolution of crop grey water footprint and associated water pollution levels in arid regions of western China. Agricultural Water Management, 280, 108224.

10.Luo, D., Hu, Z., Dai, L., Hou, G., Di, K., Liang, M., ... & Zeng, X. (2023). An overall consistent increase of global aridity in 1970–2018. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 33(3), 449-463.

11.Rosa, L. (2022). Adapting agriculture to climate change via sustainable irrigation: Biophysical potentials and feedbacks. Environmental Research Letters, 17(6), 063008.

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13.Peng, Z., Wang, L., Xie, J., Li, L., Coulter, J. A., Zhang, R., ... & Whitbread, A, 2020. Conservation tillage increases yield and precipitation use efficiency of wheat on the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Agric. Water Manag. 231, 106024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106024

14.Qi, Z., Feng, H., Zhao, Y., Zhang, T., Yang, A., & Zhang, Z, 2018. Spatial distribution and simulation of soil moisture content and salinity under mulched drip irrigation combined with tillage in an arid saline irrigation district, northwest China. Agric. Water Manag. 201, 219-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.12.032

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29.Mhlanga, B., Ercoli, L., Pellegrino, E., Onofri, A., & Thierfelder, C. (2021). The crucial role of mulch to enhance the stability and resilience of cropping systems in southern Africa. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 41, 1-14.

30.Coelho, E. F., Santos, D. L., de Lima, L. W. F., Castricini, A., Barros, D. L., Filgueiras, R., & da Cunha, F. F. (2022). Water regimes on soil covered with plastic film mulch and relationships with soil water availability, yield, and water use efficiency of papaya trees. Agricultural Water Management, 269, 107709.

31.Biswas, T., Bandyopadhyay, P. K., Nandi, R., Mukherjee, S., Kundu, A., Reddy, P., ... & Kumar, P. (2022). Impact of mulching and nutrients on soil water balance and actual evapotranspiration of irrigated winter cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.). Agricultural Water Management, 263, 107456.

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35.Feng, Y., Hao, W., Gao, L., Li, H., Gong, D., & Cui, N. (2019). Comparison of maize water consumption at different scales between mulched and non-mulched croplands. Agric. Water Manag. 216, 315-324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2019.02.016

36.Fu, W., Fan, J., Hao, M., Hu, J., & Wang, H, 2021. Evaluating the effects of plastic film mulching patterns on cultivation of winter wheat in a dryland cropping system on the Loess Plateau, China. Agric. Water Manag. 244, 106550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106550

38.Somanathan, H., Sathasivam, R., Sivaram, S., Kumaresan, S. M., Muthuraman, M. S., & Park, S. U. (2022). An update on polyethylene and biodegradable plastic mulch films and their impact on the environment. Chemosphere, 135839.

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40.Chen, N., Li, X., Šimůnek, J., Shi, H., Ding, Z., & Peng, Z. (2019). Evaluating the effects of biodegradable film mulching on soil water dynamics in a drip-irrigated field. Agricultural Water Management, 226, 105788.

41.Liang, J., Ning, R., Sun, Z., Liu, X., Sun, W., & Zhou, X, 2021. Preparation and characterization of an eco-friendly dust suppression and sand-fixation liquid mulching film. Carbohydr. Polym. 256, 117429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.117429

42.Martinez, P., Buurman, P., do Nascimento, D. L., Almquist, V., & Vidal-Torrado, P. (2021). Substantial changes in podzol morphology after tree‐roots modify soil porosity and hydrology in a tropical coastal rainforest. Plant and Soil, 463, 77-95.

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45.Chen, N., Li, X., Šimůnek, J., Zhang, Y., Shi, H., Hu, Q., & Xin, M. (2022). Evaluating soil salts dynamics under biodegradable film mulching with different disintegration rates in an arid region with shallow and saline groundwater: Experimental and modeling study. Geoderma, 423, 115969.

46.Saeed, F. H., Al-Khafaji, M. S., & Al-Faraj, F. A. M. (2021). Sensitivity of Irrigation Water Requirement to Climate Change in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions towards Sustainable Management of Water Resources. Sustainability, 13(24), 13608.

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50.Gao, H., Yan, C., Liu, Q., Li, Z., Yang, X., & Qi, R, 2019b. Exploring optimal soil mulching to enhance yield and water use efficiency in maize cropping in China: a meta-analysis. Agric. Water Manag. 225, 105741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2019.105741

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53.Xu, Y., Li, Q., & Man, L, 2021. Bamboo-derived carboxymethyl cellulose for liquid film as renewable and biodegradable agriculture mulching. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 192, 611-617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.09.152

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript analyzed the effects of different mulch types on soil moisture of farmland with the experimental observation data. The experiment was designed properly with two kinds of environmental conditions, i.e., irrigation and rainfall. The results and discussion were clear and comprehensive. The manuscript could be expressed more clearly after some minor revision.  

1. From my point of view, the motivation of this research is to give the suggestion to choose the suitable mulch in arid climate farm region. So that the different types of mulch and their characters should be descripted before the experiment design, better in the introduction part than the methods part. Although the readers could only find out the mulch difference in the discussion part.

2. The second column of Table 1 should be given the header, and what is I and R and the numbers stands for? Their explanation could be found in title of figure 4, but not in the place where it showed up at the first time.

3. There are some minor mistakes, the author should check throughout. Such as,

in Line159, modify smaller to the smallest.

in Line281, there was no corresponding explain for the number of 1, so was in Line 335. Why not to use the actual days after irrigation or rainfall, i.e., 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 or 0, 1, 5, 7, 9.

 

Author Response

Review Report

The manuscript analyzed the effects of different mulch types on soil moisture of farmland with the experimental observation data. The experiment was designed properly with two kinds of environmental conditions, i.e., irrigation and rainfall. The results and discussion were clear and comprehensive. The manuscript could be expressed more clearly after some minor revision.    

Response：Dear reviewers, Thank you very much for your review and valuable comments on our manuscript. We are very pleased with your approval of our experimental design and data analysis. We also appreciate your suggestions for revising our manuscript. We will carefully consider your suggestions and make further revisions to the manuscript to ensure a clearer presentation. We will also check and update the cited literature to ensure accurate citation. Thank you again for your review and suggestions.

 

1. From my point of view, the motivation of this research is to give the suggestion to choose the suitable mulch in arid climate farm region. So that the different types of mulch and their characters should be descripted before the experiment design, better in the introduction part than the methods part. Although the readers could only find out the mulch difference in the discussion part.

Response：We have followed your suggestion to add a description of the type of mulch and its characteristics in the introductory section: In this study, we used four types of mulch, namely liquid mulch (LM), biodegradable mulch (BM), ordinary black mulch (OBM) and ordinary white mulch (OWM). Liquid mulch (LM) and biodegradable mulch (BM) are new types of mulching materials. The former is made of a mixture of materials with biodegradable properties, which can fix topsoil and retain heat and moisture; the latter is mainly composed of biodegradable polymer materials, which will completely degrade within 60 to 180 days, without polluting the soil, and the degraded products are beneficial to crop growth. The main component of ordinary mulch film is polyethylene, which has the characteristics of waterproof, heat preservation, moisture preservation, anti-aging and UV resistance, but it is not easy to be degraded, and may cause pollution to the environment after use, so it is necessary to pay attention to environmental protection issues.

 

2. The second column of Table 1 should be given the header, and what is I and R and the numbers stands for? Their explanation could be found in title of figure 4, but not in the place where it showed up at the first time.

Response：We have decided to add a comment after the table name in Table 1 to make the table clearer in light of your query: I0: before irrigation; I1: 1st day after irrigation; I3: 3rd day after irrigation; I5: 5th day after irrigation; I7: 7th day after irrigation; R1: 1st day after rainfall; R5: 5th day after rainfall; R7: 7th day after rainfall; R9: 9th day after rainfall

3. There are some minor mistakes, the author should check throughout. Such as,in Line159, modify smaller to the smallest.in Line281, there was no corresponding explain for the number of 1, so was in Line 335. Why not to use the actual days after irrigation or rainfall, i.e., 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 or 0, 1, 5, 7, 9. 

Response：

• L159(L184):Smaller has been changed to smallest.
• 281(L309):Temporal variations of soil moisture content after irrigation for different mulches. Previous values of soil moisture content are shown in translucent colors. a: No mulch; b: Liquid mulch; c: Biodegradable mulch; d: Ordinary black mulch; e: Ordinary white mulch; 1: before irrigation, 2: first day after irrigation, 3: day 3 after irrigation, 4: day 5 after irrigation, 5: day 7 after irrigation
• L335:Temporal variations of soil moisture content after rainfall for different mulch types. Previous values of soil moisture content are shown in translucent colors. a: No mulch; b: Liquid mulch; c: Biodegradable mulch; d: Ordinary black mulch; e: Ordinary white mulch;1: Before rainfall, 2: Day 1 after rainfall, 3: Day 5 after rainfall, 4: Day 7 after rainfall, 5: Day 9 after rainfall
• Because the first irrigation sampling order is I0,I1,I3,I5,I7, rainfall sampling order is R0,R1,R5,R7,R9, in order to make the same type of legend more uniform, so in the layer we use the natural numbers other than 0 in order, in the figure column, we figure 8 and figure 10 appear in the definition of the letter and the number of explanation one by one, in order to make the reader more clear.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have made the necessary corrections in the article. I need to mention a few small things, please see it.

In response to my questions, you have given explanations, but it is not seen in the article. For example question 2 and 4 and…  In response to question 2 you wrote “ in order to increase the confidence of the data, on the day of the unexpected rainfall, we used soil samples collected before the rainfall and excluded some of the parallel samples, which were subject to large data errors because the soil moisture in these samples originated from both irrigation and precipitation”. But, no effect can be seen in the article

Also Please see this note, maybe I am wrong: in Table 1 and Fig4 and Fig7 you introduced: I0: before irrigation; I1: 1st day after irrigation; I3: 3rd day after irrigation; I5: 5th day after irrigation; I7: 7th day after irrigation, while in Figure 8 you wrote; 1: before irrigation, 2: first day after irrigation, 3: day 3 after irrigation, 4: day 5 after irrigation, 5: day 7 after irrigation.

Author Response

Dear Reviewers:

Thank you very much for your comments on 11 December 2023 on "Effects of different cover types on soil moisture in agricultural fields in an artificial oasis area" (manuscript no. Land-2752295). Based on your comments, we have carefully revised the manuscript, and the revised parts are marked in the manuscript with a yellow background (black letters are for this revision, the red text is the trace of the first modification, bold text is embellishment marks). The main revisions and responses are as follows:

1. In response to my questions, you have given explanations, but it is not seen in the article. For example question 2 and 4 and…  In response to question 2 you wrote "in order to increase the confidence of the data, on the day of the unexpected rainfall, we used soil samples collected before the rainfall and excluded some of the parallel samples, which were subject to large data errors because the soil moisture in these samples originated from both irrigation and precipitation.". But, no effect can be seen in the article.

Response: Your reference to "In response to my questions, you have given explanations, but it is not seen in the article.", we consider this to be an oversight on our part and will therefore add, as appropriate, an explanations in our response letter and thank you again for your constructive comments on our article.

 

• In response to Question 2, we have added an explanation of "in order to increase the confidence of the data, on the day of the unexpected rainfall, we used soil samples collected before the rainfall and excluded some of the parallel samples, which were subject to large data errors because the soil moisture in these samples originated from both irrigation and precipitation"in the original draft, and have now added a yellow background note to make it more visible, see 2.2 Continuous Measurement, L139-143 for details.

   

(2) In response to Question 4, our explanation " Because Table 2 is presented to support the topic of Article 3.1 (soil moisture changes with and without mulch), we ignored the effect of different types of mulch on soil moisture and focused on whether or not the mulch was applied, so we averaged the soil moisture content under the four different types of mulch." is not represented in the original text, and we have reorganised the language according to your suggestion to add in the title of Table 2: "The data in this table ignored the effect of different types of mulch on soil moisture and focused on whether or not the mulch was applied, so we averaged the soil moisture content under We averaged soil moisture content under four different types of mulch cover". We set the font to black and add a yellow background, see L209-211 for details.

 

We think this suggestion of yours is a great enhancement to the narrative of our article, making it clear and easy to understand, so we will add explanations of your labelling doubts in the pdf as appropriate:

 

1）In response to "L99-100:What were the mulches type? Were they powdered and mixed with water or plastic mulch, emulsion or .......? It would have been better to mention the type and characteristics of mulches." The explanation of this question, with our modifications, has appeared in the manuscript, and we have added yellow background labelling, as detailed in the Introduction section, L64-77.

 

• In response to the question "What are the dates of the first and second irrigation? The date of irrigation should be written. Did the irrigation and rainfall occur simultaneously on one day? If yes, the amount of water released will exceed the smart meter." The explanation for this question has been added to the original manuscript, and we have labelled the revised text with a yellow background, as detailed in 2.2. Continuous Measurement, L134-143.

 

3) In response to "L130: Table 2 and Figure 2 show that rainfall on the first day after irrigation was about 6 mm." This issue is not reflected in our explanation in the original text, and we have reorganised the language according to your suggestion to provide an additional explanation in the Results 3.1 section: "It is worth noting that the water content of the soil without film was 20.9% after one day of the first irrigation, and 27.4% after one day of the second irrigation. 4 per cent, which is related to the difference in the amount of water between the two irrigations, and the difference in soil moisture content before irrigation further influenced the soil moisture content after irrigation (Table 1)." We set the font to black and add a yellow background, see L181-185 for details.

 

 

4) For the explanation of the question "L130: Where is R3? why? for precipitation?", we have rewritten the organisational language to add "Due to a major error in the preservation process of the samples taken on the third day after the rainfall, the values of this batch of samples deviated from the error interval, therefore, in order to ensure the scientific validity and rigour of the study, we have decided, after consideration, not to use the data collected on the same day, and therefore not to reflect the data taken on the third day after the rainfall in the table." in the section 2.3 Experimental analysis, based on your suggestion. and we We set the font to black and add a yellow background, see L163-168 for details.

 

5)In response to the question " L150: "L150："R1: 1st day after rainfall"  It shows that it rained on the 8-18, so the soil moisture content cannot be considered 5 days after irrigation because it rained on that day and soil moisture should show more.", we have added this section to 2.2 Continuous Measurement in the original manuscript and made the added text more visible by setting the yellow background marking, see L134-143 for details.

6)In response to the question "L161: Which Mulch? Is there an average of 4 types of mulch?", we have reorganised the language according to your suggestion and added in the heading of Table 2: "The data in this table ignores the effect of different types of mulch on soil moisture and focuses only on whether or not mulch cover was used, so we have averaged the soil moisture content under four different types of mulch cover.", we set the added text to black and added a yellow background, see L209-211 for details.

7）In response to the question "L173-174：As you know, evaporation decreases or increases under the influence of sun and wind.Were the weather conditions the same (sunny or cloudy) during the research?", we have reworded the organisational language to add in section 2.1 Measurement site as per your suggestion: "We are aware of the possible changes in soil evapotranspiration that may occur as a result of sunlight and wind, either decreasing or increasing. During the study period, considering the diversity of weather conditions, we chose the same time points and sampled from soils with different cover types for a comparative moisture study. It is reasonable to believe that evapotranspiration must be higher in soils without mulch than in soils with mulch under the same meteorological conditions. This is the central question of our study. The aim of our study was to gain an insight into the effect of different types of mulch on soil moisture under actual farm conditions. In the comparison samples sampled during the same period, we ignored the effect of climatic conditions because we focused on comparing soils with different mulch cover types and did not make a longitudinal comparison between the first irrigation and the second irrigation." , we set the added text to a black font with a yellow font background, see L108-119 for details.

 

• For the explanation of the note "L202:Plastic mulch has different conditions with liquid or emulsion mulches.", which we have added to the introductory part of the original manuscript and  add a yellow background note to make it more visible, see L64-77 for details.

 

• In response to " L210:Is it possible to use these mulches on a wide scale of agriculture?", we have already given a detailed explanation of this question, at the same time, the question you raised is a very valuable scientific issue, which can effectively improve the current situation of agricultural cultivation, after our repeated consideration, we think that the explanation of this question is not suitable to be added to this study, because the use of a certain kind of mulch on a wide scale of agriculture is a problem that needs to be specifically analysed. specific analyses, so we think that the explanation of this problem should not appear in this study hastily. However, different types of mulch cropping (including no mulch) have been studied with some breadth on soil moisture, such as the last paragraph of the introduction in the manuscript:"The study is not only applicable to global man-made oasis areas, including arid and desert regions, but also has wide applicability under different climatic conditions. Managing soil moisture on farmland in different geographical areas is critical for crop growth and agricultural production. This study aims to promote scientific soil moisture management and effective mulch type selection to directly guide agricultural practices and provide scientific support for agricultural policies, thereby improving agricultural productivity and sustainability in artificial oasis regions. In the context of addressing the challenges of global climate change and resource scarcity, and through an in-depth study of the effects of different mulch types on soil moisture, this research provides viable technical and management options for global agriculture and promotes sustainable agricultural development.", see L78-L88 for details.

 

• In response to "L313:it was better that You checked the amount of rainfall in the mulch penetration rate. Does the amount of rainfall have an effect on the penetration rate?", we have explained it in detail in our reply to this question, emphasising that the permeability of mulch is affected by a combination of factors, including the permeability of the mulch material, the soil type, the condition of the mulch, and the intensity and duration of rainfall. In our study, we collected soil samples from the same area, at the same time of year, and under the same weather conditions, thus limiting other uncertainties that may be introduced to the material of the ground cover. We have explained the properties of the different mulch materials in detail in the introduction, we set a yellow background to the already added text to make it clearer, see L64-77 for details.

 

• In response to the '.........and also prevent soil erosion' question, we have added to section 4.3 of the original manuscript, "Effect of mulch type on soil moisture after rainfall" , and have now set the font to a yellow background label to make it more visible, see L386-387.

 

• In response to the explanation of the question "L347:I had seen something like this in the agricultural lands of Wuwei, Gansu Province, in 2004 (in cotton and maize farms), which was said plastic film. Is this mulch the same?", we have reorganised the language in accordance with your suggestion to add "The use of polyethylene ground cover in Chinese agricultural cultivation can be traced back to the early 1980s [30,31]." setting the added text in black font and setting a yellow background, see L72-L74 for details.

 

• For the explanation of the question "L361:have these 2 mulch used in this areas?", we have reorganised the language in accordance with your suggestion to add "In this study, four types of mulches were used in the experimental field of Jingtai Irrigation District, i.e., Liquid Mulch (LM), Biodegradable Mulch (BM), Ordinary Black Mulch (OBM) and Ordinary White Mulch (OWM)." in the introduction, setting the added text in black font and setting a yellow background, see L64-L66 for details.

 

 

2. Also Please see this note, maybe I am wrong: in Table 1 and Fig4 and Fig7 you introduced: I0: before irrigation; I1: 1st day after irrigation; I3: 3rd day after irrigation; I5: 5th day after irrigation; I7: 7th day after irrigation, while in Figure 8 you wrote; 1: before irrigation, 2: first day after irrigation, 3: day 3 after irrigation, 4: day 5 after irrigation, 5: day 7 after irrigation.

Response: （1）From the perspective of graphical information content: firstly, when we design graphs and tables, we should refine the legends and table titles according to the needs of the graphs and tables. The advantage of the table is clarity, so when we design the table, we choose to highlight the numbers of the sampling interval date; secondly, the box plot can clearly see the meaning of the horizontal and vertical coordinates, and at the same time, a plot only represents the values of a piece of test field for continuous sampling. The amount of information in each subplot is relatively small, so the vertical coordinates can be directly labelled to show the numbers of the sampling interval dates; finally, Figures 8 and 10 are the same type of combined plots, the amount of data and chart content is relatively cumbersome, therefore, in the ordinal number of each subplot, we chose to use clear and concise equidistant series, and in the legend, we explained the real meaning of each number in detail, to alleviate the reader's burden of reading when looking at the plots.

（2）Figures 8 and 10 are of the same type. The sampling order of the first irrigation is I0, I1, I3, I5, I7, and the sampling order of the rainfall is R0, R1, R5, R7, R9. In order to make the same type of legend more uniform, we have used natural numbers other than 0 in the layers in order. In the figure columns, we have explained the definitions of the letters and numbers appearing in Figs. 8 and 10 one by one in order to make it clearer to the readers.

Finally, we recognise that uniform labelling is beneficial to the reader's understanding, but case by case, in my case where the graphics are more complex, appropriate and flexible changes are recommended, and after our careful consideration, we believe that the serial numbers appearing in Figures 8 and 10 do not need to be altered.

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This revised research article may suitable for the publication of one of research articles in international journal.

Author Response

Dear Reviewers:

Thank you very much for your review on 10 December 2023 of "The effect of different mulch types on soil moisture in agricultural fields in an artificial oasis area", Manuscript No. land-2752295. based on your comments, we have carefully revised the manuscript. The revised parts have been marked in yellow in the manuscript to distinguish the first revision. The main revisions and responses are as follows:

 

English language fine. No issues detected  (NO)

 

Response: In response to the linguistic problems you mention, we have made detailed revisions in terms of linguistic logic and grammar, bolding the text in the manuscript and marking it with a yellow background to distinguish it from the first revision marks.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx