The effect of mulching films on the temporal and spatial distribution of soil water in semiarid hilly area

To explore the patterns of the movement of soil moisture under film mulch throughout the year, white and black film covers were used in the hills and bare land was used as a control. The EM50 data collector is used to monitor the soil moisture in the 2 m soil layer in real time, and the CNC100 neutron moisture metre is used to observe the soil moisture in the 10 m soil layer for two years. The changes in soil moisture under different plastic films and the impacts of different types of plastic films on local water retention were studied in this article. The results showed that the soil moisture content was minimal in the 5-cm soil layer on any given day and that the white film led to greater soil moisture content than the other treatments within a depth of 1 m with a higher outcome. The soil water content at a depth of 10 m in the white film treatment was significantly higher than that in the other two treatments from October 2017 to May 2019. Film mulching not only increased the soil water content but also increased the water storage and moisture conservation in areas planted with jujube. Compared with bare land, film mulching can increase the depth of soil infiltration and help the recovery of the dry soil layer. White film mulching leads to the best recovery effect, and the rain storage efficiency and degree of soil moisture restoration are both the highest under the white film treatment.