@article{Zhang2026, 
author = {Kaiping Zhang and Yufei Li and Li Zhang and Pingxing Wan and Ning Chai and Yuling Li and Wucheng Zhao and Matthew Tom Harrison and Yakov Kuzyakov and Fengmin Li and Feng Zhang},
title = {Plastic film mulching increases maize yields and mitigates NH3 emissions under climate change and N deposition},
year = {2026},
journal = {Journal of Integrative Agriculture (JIA)},
volume = {25},
number = {10},
pages = {4102-4113},
keywords = {climate change, N deposition, DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model, modeling, maize yield, NH3 emission},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1016/j.jia.2025.02.047},
doi = {10.1016/j.jia.2025.02.047},
abstract = {Plastic film mulching (PFM) increases crop yields in semi-arid regions by reducing water losses and increasing soil temperatures, while crop production in these areas also serves as a significant source of ammonia (NH3) emissions. The effects of PFM on NH3 emissions are mostly unknown because of interactions between greater N mineralization at higher temperatures and the film cover preventing NH3 diffusion. Therefore, our objectives were to (1) evaluate the effects of PFM on NH3 emissions under field conditions, and (2) identify the maize yield and NH3 emissions under climate change and atmospheric N deposition conditions using the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model. The experiment included four treatments: (1) no plastic film mulching without N fertilization (control), (2) plastic film mulching without N fertilization (PFM), (3) N fertilization without plastic film mulching (N), and (4) plastic film mulching with N fertilization (PFM+N). The PFM increased maize yields by 211% and yield stability across the years when combined with N fertilization. PFM reduced NH3 emissions by 35% through three mechanisms: ⅰ) the high water content under PFM saturates soil pores, hindering NH3 gas movement to the atmosphere; ⅱ) the hot and wet conditions under PFM accelerate the nitrification rate, thus increasing pH buffering capacity during urea hydrolysis; and ⅲ) the physical barrier created by PFM reduces NH3 exchange between soil and air. Daily NH3 emissions increased with soil temperature, NH4+ content, and pH, but declined with soil moisture under N fertilization. The NH3 emissions under PFM+N increased with NH4+ content. The parameterized DNDC model simulated the yield and daily NH3 emissions very well. PFM+N increased yield and reduced NH3 emissions under the shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) scenario and with N deposition. Yield under PFM+N increased with increasing N deposition, whereas NH3 emissions under PFM+N increased only under the high N deposition (N4) scenario compared with the no-deposition scenario, with no apparent increase under the N2 and N3 scenarios. In conclusion, PFM increases yields and mitigates NH3 emissions, and it can also potentially achieve similar benefits under future conditions.}
}