Effects of soil surface mulching on cucumber production and water use efficiency in solar greenhouse

Randomized plot design was used among soil surface mulching treatments, such as wheat straw mulching, plastic film mulching, wheat straw and plastic film mulching and no mulching in this experiment. The effects of soil surface mulching on cucumber production and water use efficiency were studied to choose a better mulching model and supplying theoretical basis and technique support for water-saving agriculture. The results showed that: ① Three soil surface mulching treatments significantly promoted cucumber growth and enhanced normal fruit ratio, furthermore, wheat straw and plastic film mulching made better effects than the other two treatments; ② The yields of all mulching treatments were much higher than that of control. Wheat straw and plastic film mulching gave the highest early yield and total yield. Plastic film mulching increased early yield higher, but much lower yield at late stage than that of wheat straw mulching, so that made total yield lower than wheat straw mulching; ③ Soil surface mulching significantly increased the content of dry matter, soluble sugar, vitamin C, soluble protein and total dissociative amino acid, and improvement effects of wheat straw and plastic film mulching were much better than that of wheat straw mulching and plastic film mulching; ④ Water use efficiencies of soil surface mulching treatments were much higher than that of control, and were respectively 74.2%, 112.5% and 102.3% higher than control in order of wheat straw mulching, plastic film mulching and wheat straw and plastic film mulching. Moreover, the values of water use efficiency of plastic film mulching and wheat straw and plastic film mulching were significantly higher than that of wheat straw mulching.