Drought severity determines the effectiveness of straw mulching in alleviating water stress during early maize growth
4 affiliations
- 1Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Northeast Agricultural Research Center of China)/Key Laboratory of Water-Saving Agriculture in Northeast China (Jilin), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
- 2Baicheng, Multidisciplinary, Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
- 3Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University
- 4Agronomy College, Jilin Agricultural University
Abstract
Introduction: Drought is a major constraint on the early growth and photosynthetic productivity of maize (Zea mays L.), yet whether the physiological benefits of straw mulching depend on drought severity remains unclear.
Methods: A two-year experiment was conducted in 2025 and 2026 using straw removal and straw mulching under three irrigation levels (135, 105, and 75 mm), representing well-watered, moderate-drought, and severe-drought conditions, respectively. Plant growth, photosynthetic performance, carbon-assimilation enzyme activities, osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant responses were evaluated.
Results: Increasing drought severity generally reduced leaf area index (LAI), plant height (PH), dry matter accumulation (DW), photosynthetic performance, and carbon-assimilation capacity, while increasing the accumulation of proline, soluble sugars, betaine, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ), together with antioxidant responses. The physiological effects of straw mulching varied markedly with drought severity. Under moderate drought, mulching more consistently maintained plant growth and photosynthetic performance, preserved carbon-assimilation enzyme activities, and reduced MDA and H₂O₂ accumulation. In contrast, these beneficial responses were substantially weaker and less consistent under severe drought. Across physiological traits, better growth and carbon-assimilation performance were generally associated with lower osmotic and oxidative stress. Multivariate patterns further showed that mulched plants under moderate drought exhibited a physiological profile closer to that under well-watered conditions, whereas plants under severe drought remained distinctly separated despite straw mulching.
Discussion: Overall, straw mulching provided more consistent physiological protection against moderate drought than severe drought during early maize growth, indicating that drought severity strongly constrains the effectiveness of straw mulching.
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026drought,
title = {{Drought severity determines the effectiveness of straw mulching in alleviating water stress during early maize growth}},
author = {Renjie Zhao and Zexin Qi and Lihua Zhang and Fei Li and Ning Sun and Weiping Yan and Mo Zhu and Qian Li and Hongxiang Zhao and Chen Xu and Zhian Zhang},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1983668},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1983668/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Drought severity determines the effectiveness of straw mulching in alleviating water stress during early maize growth
AU - Renjie Zhao
AU - Zexin Qi
AU - Lihua Zhang
AU - Fei Li
AU - Ning Sun
AU - Weiping Yan
AU - Mo Zhu
AU - Qian Li
AU - Hongxiang Zhao
AU - Chen Xu
AU - Zhian Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1983668
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1983668/full
AB - Introduction: Drought is a major constraint on the early growth and photosynthetic productivity of maize (Zea mays L.), yet whether the physiological benefits of straw mulching depend on drought severity remains unclear. Methods: A two-year experiment was conducted in 2025 and 2026 using straw removal and straw mulching under three irrigation levels (135, 105, and 75 mm), representing well-watered, moderate-drought, and severe-drought conditions, respectively. Plant growth, photosynthetic performance, carbon-assimilation enzyme activities, osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant responses were evaluated. Results: Increasing drought severity generally reduced leaf area index (LAI), plant height (PH), dry matter accumulation (DW), photosynthetic performance, and carbon-assimilation capacity, while increasing the accumulation of proline, soluble sugars, betaine, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ), together with antioxidant responses. The physiological effects of straw mulching varied markedly with drought severity. Under moderate drought, mulching more consistently maintained plant growth and photosynthetic performance, preserved carbon-assimilation enzyme activities, and reduced MDA and H₂O₂ accumulation. In contrast, these beneficial responses were substantially weaker and less consistent under severe drought. Across physiological traits, better growth and carbon-assimilation performance were generally associated with lower osmotic and oxidative stress. Multivariate patterns further showed that mulched plants under moderate drought exhibited a physiological profile closer to that under well-watered conditions, whereas plants under severe drought remained distinctly separated despite straw mulching. Discussion: Overall, straw mulching provided more consistent physiological protection against moderate drought than severe drought during early maize growth, indicating that drought severity strongly constrains the effectiveness of straw mulching.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -