Optimization study on the different cultivation measures for the efficient production of cabbage in Liupanshan of Ningxia Region in China

Cabbage has been widely cultivated with distinctive features in each cultivation area. The high output of vegetables can be found with better taste and high quality in Ningxia Liupanshan region with the unique cool climate conditions. But it is unclear on the efficient farming of mechanized production of cabbage in this region, in order to promote efficient and standardized production in the cabbage industry. This study aims to clarify the effects of different tillage modes on cabbage growth for the efficient agro-mechanical-agricultural integration system. Three tillage factors were also selected from the perspective of tillage practices, including the starting height of monopoly, light transmission rate of mulch, and the age of cabbage transplanted seedlings. A study plot was located in the Xiji region of Ningxia in China, where drip irrigation was used to locally irrigate using integrated water and fertilizer irrigation. The various types of vegetables were previously cultivated with alkaline soils. A 3-factor and 3-level quadratic regression orthogonal experiment was conducted with 80%, 45%, and 10% mulch light transmittance, 0, 15, and 30 cm monopoly height, as well as 30, 35, and 40 d transplanted seedlings in the test plot with 'China Cabbage No. 15' as the test variety. Response surface models were established to explore the effects of different factors on the soil environment and the yield of cabbage using the Box-Behnken model in Design-Expert 8.0.6 Trial software. The results showed that a significant effect of the soil environmental index was found in the interaction between mulch light transmission rate and transplanting seedling age, while there was no significant interaction of other factors. The higher the age of the seedlings was, the higher the overall soil environmental index was. The significant effects on the yield were observed in the interaction of starting height with mulch light transmission rate, mulch light transmission rate, and transplanting seedling age. The yield of cabbage tended to increase with a lower starting height and lower mulch light transmission rate, or with a higher starting height, and higher mulch light transmission rate. Finally, the response surface analysis and multi-objective optimization were utilized to adjust the monopoly height of cabbage cultivation, ground film light transmission rate, and transplanting seedling age tillage. A better performance was achieved in the soil structure and the comprehensive capacity of the soil environment, leading to the significantly increasing yield of cabbage. The best tillage mode was optimized for cabbage production using the response surface method. The optimal combination of parameters was obtained at 30 cm of monopoly height, 80% of the ground film light transmittance and 39 d of transplanted seedling age. This treatment combination can be the best way of tillage to promote the standardization and mechanical efficiency of the cabbage industry.