Effect of Moisture and Heat Coupling in Soil Wetting Pattern on the Cotton Growth under Mulched Drip Irrigation

Based on the different soil wetting patterns and soil moisture distribution resulting from different drip discharges designed with 1 time drip discharge,2 time drip discharge,and 4 time drip discharge,the soil water content and temperature were determined as well as the cotton growth and yield to research the effects of soil wetting pattern on the soil temperature and cotton growth under the mulched drip irrigation.The results indicated that with plastic film covering,the soil temperature wasn't influenced obviously by the enhanced soil wetting pattern and soil water content,but by the cotton leaves blocking sunshine;the growth of cotton stem was impacted by the soil moisture rather than the soil temperature;the widened soil wetting pattern resulted in the soil moisture distributing more uniformly that the number bolls and theoretical yield of the cotton were increased significantly.These efforts are helpful to the design of soil wetting pattern for the mulched drip irrigation technique.