Search Results (35)

Accumulation of salts in irrigated soils can be detrimental not only to growing crops but also to groundwater quality. Soil salinity should be regularly monitored, and appropriate irrigation at the required leaching rate should be applied to prevent excessive salt accumulation in the root zone, thereby improving soil fertility and crop production. We combined two frequency domain electromagnetic induction (FD-EMI) mono-channel sensors (EM31 and EM38) and operated them at different heights and with different coil orientations to monitor the vertical distribution of soil salinity in a salt-affected irrigated area in Kairouan (central Tunisia). Multiple measurement heights and coil orientations were used to enhance depth sensitivity and thereby improve salinity predictions from this type of proximal sensor. The resulting multi-configuration FD-EMI datasets were used to derive soil salinity information via inverse modeling with a recently developed in-house laterally constrained inversion (LCI) approach. The collected apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) data were inverted to predict the spatial and temporal distribution of soil salinity. The results highlight several findings about the distribution of salinity in relation to different irrigation systems using brackish water, both in the short and long term. The expected transfer of salinity from the surface to deeper layers was systematically observed by our FD-EMI surveys. However, the intensity and spatial distribution of soil salinity varied between different crops, depending on the frequency and amount of drip or sprinkler irrigation. Furthermore, our results show that vertical salinity transfer is also influenced by the wet or dry season. The study provides insights into the effectiveness of combining two different FD-EMI sensors, EM31 and EM38, for monitoring soil salinity in agricultural areas, thereby contributing to the sustainability of irrigated agricultural production. The inversion approach provides a more detailed representation of soil salinity distribution across spatial and temporal scales at different depths, and across irrigation systems, compared to the classical method based on soil samples and laboratory analysis, which is a point-scale measurement. It provides a more extensive assessment of soil conditions at depths up to 4 m with different irrigation systems. For example, the influence of local drip irrigation was imaged, and the history of a non-irrigated plot was evaluated, confirming the potential of this method. Full article

Excess fertiliser and sub-optimal irrigation threaten soil health in greenhouse vegetable systems on black soils. This study explored how water–fertilizer regimes shape soil aggregate structure, stability, and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in a meadow black soil eggplant system in Heilongjiang, China. Using a randomized block design with drip irrigation, three treatments were tested: conventional water and fertilizer (WF), conventional water with 20% fertilizer reduction (W80%F), and 20% water reduction with conventional fertilizer (80%WF). Results showed that 80%WF significantly increased macro-aggregate proportion, improved stability (mean weight diameter, MWD; geometric mean diameter, GMD), enhanced total organic carbon (TOC) content, and strengthened carbon sequestration, whereas W80%F weakened aggregate stability and reduced SOC in deeper layers. Water availability was the dominant factor for aggregate formation and SOC in surface and middle layers, while nutrients were more influential at depth. These findings demonstrate that moderate water reduction is more effective than fertilizer reduction in improving soil structure and carbon sink capacity, providing a scientific basis for precision water–fertilizer management and sustainable greenhouse agriculture in black soil regions. Full article

Rhizosphere hypoxia, caused by soil compaction and waterlogging, is a major constraint on agricultural productivity. It severely impairs crop growth and yield by inhibiting root aerobic respiration, disrupting energy metabolism, and altering the rhizosphere microecology. Micro-nano bubbles (MNBs) show significant potential for alleviating rhizosphere hypoxia due to their unique physicochemical properties, including large specific surface area, high oxygen dissolution efficiency, prolonged retention time, and negative surface charge. This paper systematically reviews the key characteristics of MNBs, particularly their enhanced mass transfer capacity and system stability, and outlines mainstream preparation methods such as cavitation, electrolysis, and membrane dispersion. And the multiple alleviation mechanisms of MNBs—including continuous oxygen release, improvement of soil pore structure, and regulation of rhizosphere microbial communities—are clarified. The combination of MNBs aeration and subsurface drip irrigation can increase soil aeration by 5%. When applied in soilless cultivation and conventional irrigation systems, MNBs enhance crop yield and nutrient use efficiency. For example, tomato yield can be increased by 12–44%. Furthermore, the integration of MNBs with water–fertilizer integration technology enables the synchronized supply of oxygen and nutrients, thereby optimizing the rhizosphere environment efficiently. This paper sorts out the empirical effects of MNBs in soilless cultivation and conventional irrigation, and provides directions for solving problems such as “insufficient oxygen supply to deep roots” and “reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress in sensitive crops”. Despite these significant advantages, the industrialization of MNBs still needs to overcome challenges including high equipment costs and insufficient precision in parameter control, so as to promote large-scale agricultural application and provide an innovative strategy for the management of rhizosphere hypoxia. Full article

In response to water scarcity and low agricultural water-use efficiency in arid regions in Northwest China, this study conducted field experiments in Wuwei, Gansu Province, from 2023 to 2024. It aimed to develop a water stress diagnosis model for spring maize to provide a scientific basis for precision irrigation and water management. In this work, two irrigation methods—plastic film-mulched drip irrigation (FD, where drip lines are laid on the soil surface and covered with film) and plastic film-mulched shallow-buried drip irrigation (MD, where drip lines are buried 3–7 cm below the surface under film)—were tested under five irrigation gradients. Multispectral UAV remote sensing data were collected from key growth stages (i.e., the jointing stage, the tasseling stage, and the grain filling stage). Then, vegetation indices were extracted, and the leaf water content (LWC) was retrieved. LWC inversion models were established using Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Regression (SVR). Different irrigation treatments significantly affected LWC in spring maize, with higher LWC under sufficient water supply. In the correlation analysis, plant height (hc) showed the strongest correlation with LWC under both MD and FD treatments, with R² values of −0.87 and −0.82, respectively. Among the models tested, the RF model under the MD treatment achieved the highest prediction accuracy (training set: R² = 0.98, RMSE = 0.01; test set: R² = 0.88, RMSE = 0.02), which can be attributed to its ability to capture complex nonlinear relationships and reduce multicollinearity. This study can provide theoretical support and practical pathways for precision irrigation and integrated water–fertilizer regulation in smart agriculture, boasting significant potential for broader application of such models. Full article

Subsurface drip irrigation can improve crop water and fertilizer use efficiency, but it can cause soil hypoxia. We report on experiments performed in Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang (41°17′ N latitude, 80°17′ E longitude), from April 2023 to October 2024 using oxygenated drip irrigation from the surface to 50 cm depth in an apple (Malus pumila Mill.) orchard, to examine the effects of drip irrigation on inter-root hypoxia, tree growth, fruit quality, and yield. Compared with surface oxygenated drip irrigation (CK), irrigating at 10 and 30 cm increased soil water content in the root system, elevated gibberellin, zeatin ribosides, and indoleacetic acid contents and reduced abscisic acid contents in new shoot tips. Compared with CK, branch and leaf nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents were increased with irrigation at depths of 10 and 30 cm. The leaf nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) contents were increased by 18.03%, 22.42%, and 16.63%, respectively, in the treatment with a burial depth of 30 cm. Among treatments, irrigation at 30 cm produced the highest average daily plant water potential, and irrigation at 50 cm was the lowest. Maximum leaf soil–plant analysis development (SPAD) values occurred when irrigated at 30 cm, and minimum values occurred at 50 cm. For both years, the largest range of light flux utilization occurred when irrigated at 30 cm and the lowest when irrigated at 50 cm. Significant correlations between indoleacetic acid (IAA), total gibberellin (GA), zeatin riboside (ZRs), leaf N content, leaf K content, plant water potential (PWP), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), SPAD, and apple yield were determined by partial mantel analysis. A significant correlation was found between abscisic acid (ABA), IAA, GA, leaf P and K content, and apple quality. Principal component analysis revealed a burial depth of 30 cm had the highest principal component composite score, indicating that this burial depth, and oxygenation and fertilization regime most favored apple growth, yield, and quality. Full article

Root systems are pivotal for nutrient absorption, exhibiting high plasticity in phosphorus (P) acquisition, and significantly influencing soil phosphorus availability. However, the impacts of different P application methods on root parameters and P utilization efficiency in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under Xinjiang conditions are still not well understood. To identify optimal P fertilization strategies, a consecutive two-year field experiment (2023–2024) under mulched drip irrigation was conducted. Three P application methods were tested: no P (CK), basal P application (PB), and drip P application (PD). Results revealed that P application methods significantly affected cotton dry matter, P use efficiency, root morphology, and yield (p < 0.05). Over the two years, the optimized treatment (25% P applied at bud stage and 25% at flowering-boll stage, PD) increased yield by 13.62% and 9.50% compared to full basal application (PB), with P use efficiency improved by 22.04–31.51% and agronomic efficiency improved by 6.56–9.75 kg kg⁻¹. PB significantly increased soil-available P in 0–20 cm (34.17–70.09%) and 20–40 cm layers (30.37–70.32%) compared to CK. During the bud stage, PD treatment exhibited higher soil-available P in the 20–40 cm layer than PB. PD enhanced P uptake and dry matter accumulation, with increases of 22.43–36.33% and 7.90–15.55% in reproductive organ P accumulation compared to other treatments. Root parameters followed PD > PB > CK across all treatments. At the seedling stage, PB increased total root length by 19.79% compared to CK, while PD increased root volume by 46.15% compared to PB. During the bud stage, PB increased root volume by 53.33% compared to CK, and PD enhanced root surface area and volume by 39.25% and 47.82% compared to PB. Root volume showed a significant positive correlation with phosphorus absorption across growth stages. The PD treatment significantly enhanced soil P availability and P use efficiency and optimized root spatial distribution. This treatment consistently increased cotton yield by 30.41–39.09% (p < 0.05) compared to CK, demonstrating stable positive effects. This study highlights that adjusting P application methods can establish sustainable, high-yield agricultural fertilization systems. Full article

The salinization of cultivated soil in arid zones is a core obstacle restricting the sustainable development of agriculture, particularly in regions like Xinjiang, China, where extreme aridity and intensive irrigation practices exacerbate salt accumulation through evaporation–crystallization cycles. Conventional drip irrigation, while temporarily mitigating surface salinity, often leads to secondary salinization due to elevated water tables and inefficient leaching. Recent studies highlight the potential of integrating drip irrigation with subsurface drainage systems to address these challenges, yet the synergistic mechanisms governing ion transport dynamics, hydrochemical thresholds, and their interaction with crop physiology remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the effects of spring irrigation during the non-fertile period, soil hydrochemistry variations, and salt ion dynamics across three arid agroecosystems in Xinjiang. By coupling drip irrigation with optimized subsurface drainage configurations (burial depths: 1.4–1.6 m; lateral spacing: 20–40 m), we reveal a layer-domain differentiation in salt migration, Cl⁻ and Na⁺ were leached to 40–60 cm depths, while SO₄²⁻ formed a “stagnant salt layer” at 20–40 cm due to soil colloid adsorption. Post-irrigation hydrochemical shifts included a 40% decline in conductivity, emphasizing the risk of adsorbed ion retention. Subsurface drainage systems suppressed capillary-driven salinity resurgence, maintaining salinity at 8–12 g·kg⁻¹ in root zones during critical growth stages. This study establishes a “surface suppression–middle blocking–deep leaching” three-dimensional salinity control model, providing actionable insights for mitigating secondary salinization in arid agroecosystems. Full article

Coordinating the spatial distribution of crop roots with soil nutrients, along with selecting appropriate types of fertilizers, is an effective strategy to enhance root nutrient absorption and increase crop yield. In Xinjiang’s current surface drip irrigation practices for rice (Oryza sativa L.), premature leaf senescence and N deficiency are common issues, resulting in decreased yields. This study investigated whether different N forms under subsurface drip irrigation can modulate rice root morphological strategies to delay senescence in later growth stages, enhancing rice N uptake and yield formation. A field experiment compared the effects of different drip irrigation positions (surface drip irrigation at the surface, DI0; subsurface drip irrigation at 10 cm depth, DI10) and N forms (urea N, UN; ammonium N, AN) in four combination treatments (DI0-UN, DI0-AN, DI10-UN, DI10-AN) on rice root morphology, aboveground growth, and yield formation. During the grain-filling stage, the total root length (RL) and root number (RN) in the DI10-AN treatment were higher than in other treatments. Root vitality increased by 23.24–133.72% during the later filling stages, while the root decline rate decreased by 1.16–32.80%. The root configuration parameters β in the DI10-AN treatment were superior to those in other treatments, indicating that roots tend to distribute deeper in the soil. The DI10-AN treatment reduced Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and increased Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activity, thereby alleviating water and N stress on the leaves in later growth stages and maintaining higher photosynthetic parameter values. The DI10-AN treatment significantly increased N absorption (14.37–52.88%) and yield (13.32–46.31%). Correlation analysis showed that RL, RN, and root activity (Ra) were significantly positively correlated with transpiration rate (Tr), intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci), N uptake (NUP), one thousand-kernel weight (TKW), seed setting rate (SR), Efficient panicle (EP), and yield (r > 0.90). This study presents a new rice drip fertigation technique that combines subsurface irrigation with ammonium to enhance root growth and increase crop productivity. Full article

Drip fertigation (DF) can improve yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE, grain production per unit of the sum of soil inherent mineral N and fertilizer N), as well as reduce the risk of environmental pollution compared with flood irrigation and N fertilizer broadcast (FB). Previously, we showed that DF enhanced the response of the yield to the N topdressing rate (NTR), but the underlying mechanisms associated with the soil N supply, root architecture, and N uptake remain unclear. We conducted a field experiment by testing six N treatments (no N applied, and NTRs of 0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 kg ha⁻¹, denoted as N0, T0, T40, T80, T120, and T160, respectively) under DF and FB from 2021 to 2023. Compared with FB, the NUE and WUE were 4.8–4.9% and 10.0–10.5% higher under DF. The higher NUE was due to an improvement in N uptake efficiency (6.1–7.7%) resulting from the enhanced aboveground N uptake (AGN). The greater AGN under DF was attributed to the higher soil N availability at the soil depth of 0–40 cm. DF decreased the residual soil NO₃⁻-N at a depth of 40–200 cm but increased the NO₃⁻-N at a depth of 0–40 cm. In addition, DF combined with T80 achieved high root length density, surface density, and dry weight density and improved NUE and WUE. DF combined with T80 achieved high yield and efficient utilization of water and N, and the NTR threshold was 61.75–119.50 kg ha⁻¹, in which the production conditions were similar to those of the experimental site. Our results provide a reference for high-efficiency water and N fertilizer usage for irrigated winter wheat production in North China. Full article

A field experiment was conducted on sunflowers in a mild-to-moderate saline–alkaline area in the Tumochuan Plain irrigation region in China. The experimental design included using surface drip irrigation as a control (CK) and four subsurface drip irrigation treatments at burial depths of 10 cm (D10), 15 cm (D15), 20 cm (D20), and 25 cm (D25) to analyze the effect of the drip irrigation belt burial depth on soil physicochemical properties and soil desalination in the main root zone of saline–alkaline sunflower farmland. Based on macro-genome sequencing technology, the diversity, composition, and structure of soil fungal communities in the main root zone were revealed in response to the depth of drip irrigation. The results show that subsurface drip irrigation treatments improved soil desalination with rates ranging from 15.33% to 26.96%. The D25 treatment achieved an 82.01% higher desalination rate than CK and outperformed D10, D15, and D20 by 43.35%, 13.43%, and 24.89%, respectively, demonstrating the most effective desalination with a 25 cm burial depth under the same water and fertilizer management conditions. Additionally, subsurface drip irrigation enhanced the diversity and abundance of soil fungal communities; the Shannon indices for D15 and D20 were 8.1% and 12.3% higher than that of CK, respectively, whereas the Chao1 indices increased by 21.2% and 17.4%, respectively. During the budding stage, the fungal community in the main root zone (20–40 cm) was dominated by Ascomycetes and Tephritobacterium, with Alternaria being the predominant genus. Notably, the relative abundance of Ascomycetes was 118.8% higher in D25 than in CK. Structural equation modeling quantified the relationships between soil physicochemical properties, with an SMC of 0.94, indicating a model fit within an acceptable range. An SEM analysis revealed that the soil water content (SWC), soil EC, and soil NO₃⁻-N exerted the most significant combined effect on soil fungal composition and diversity. This study examined the effects of the drip irrigation tape burial depth on soil physicochemical characteristics, the fungal community structure, and diversity in the main root zone (20–40 cm) of saline–alkaline sunflower fields under subsurface drip irrigation. This study aims to provide theoretical support for water-saving agricultural practices in saline–alkaline soils. We developed a subsurface drip irrigation method for sunflowers in the lightly to moderately saline–alkaline land in the irrigation area of China’s Tumochuan Plain, and the suitable depth of burial of the drip irrigation belt was 25 cm. Full article

Soil salinization is a critical issue impacting agriculture, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different drip irrigation and fertilization treatments on soil water and salt dynamics, maize water use efficiency, and crop yield in the saline–alkali soils of northern Ningxia, China. Over three years, four irrigation treatments were tested: CK (flood irrigation, 810 mm), W1 (low-volume drip irrigation, 360 mm), W2 (medium-volume drip irrigation, 450 mm), and W3 (high-volume drip irrigation, 540 mm). The results demonstrate that treatments W2 and W3 significantly increased soil moisture content at depths of 0–20 cm and 60–100 cm compared to CK, facilitating uniform salt leaching in the 0–40 cm soil layer. However, in the 40–100 cm layer, decreased porosity and upward moisture movement hindered salt migration, resulting in subsurface salt accumulation. Furthermore, drip irrigation combined with fertilization significantly reduced phosphorus fixation and nitrogen leaching, enhancing nutrient availability. This led to a reduction in underground leakage and surface evaporation by up to 39.63%, while water use efficiency improved by 18.97% to 55.13%. By the third year, grain yields under drip irrigation treatments increased significantly compared to CK, with W3 showing the highest gains (up to 21.90%). This study highlights the potential of integrating drip irrigation and fertilization as an effective strategy for managing saline–alkali soils, improving water use, and increasing crop productivity, providing valuable insights for sustainable agricultural practices. Full article

Water resource shortage and unreasonable application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer have been problems in wheat production of northern China. However, the interaction effects of water regimes and N practices on wheat root growth, grain yield, soil water, and inorganic N changes as well as water-N use efficiency are still unclear under drip irrigation. A field experiment was conducted during the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) growing seasons. In this study, three irrigation schedules (i.e., irrigation was applied up to 80% [D1], 75% [D2], and 70% [D3] as soon as the soil water content decreased to 65%, 60% or 55% of field capacity) and two N practices (i.e., N applied at the base, jointing, booting stages were 90, 72, 48 kg ha⁻¹ [N1], and the base, jointing, booting, filling stages were 90, 40, 40, 40 kg ha⁻¹ [N2], respectively) were considered. The decease in irrigation water amount was offset by the increase in soil water consumption. In addition, N practices significantly interacted with irrigation on soil NO₃⁻–N accumulation (2021–2022), NH₄⁺–N accumulation, SPAD value (2020–2021), N content in stems and grains at maturity, and average root length and weight density at the flowering stage. Irrigation, rather than N practices, significantly affected grain yield, total N uptake, crop N transformations (NT), the contribution of NT to grain (NTPC), water and N productivity, in which, for the value of these two seasons, D2 increased total N uptake by 18.1% (p < 0.05), and NT by 39.4% (p < 0.05) under N1 as compared to D3. Additionally, the highest WUE and ANUE were found in D2 during 2021–2022. Heavy irrigation water amount caused high a LAI; further analysis proved that the LAI was the key factor affecting grain yield, and positively and significantly correlated to yield. However, no significant difference in the LAI between D1 and D2 was found. N1 was beneficial to prevent N leaching and increase water and N use efficiency, biomass, and N transformation amount. This study recommends that D2 + N1 might be a promising system for manipulating irrigation and fertilization practices under sub-surface drip irrigation systems to improve water and N use efficiency and grain yields in semi-arid regions. Full article

Improving crop yield and resource utilization efficiency is essential for agricultural productivity. In the Huang-Huai-Hai maize region of China, optimizing planting density, nitrogen (N) application, and fertilization methods are key strategies for enhancing maize yield and N use efficiency. However, traditional approaches have often hindered these improvements. To address this issue, we conducted a study in Baoding, Hebei, from 2022 to 2023, focusing on planting density, the N application rate, and the fertilization method on grain yield, N use efficiency, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic benefits. The trial involved two planting densities: 6.0 × 10⁴ plants ha⁻¹ (D1, typical local density) and 9.0 × 10⁴ plants ha⁻¹ (D2). Five N application rates were tested: 0 (N0), 120 kg ha⁻¹ (N1), 180 kg ha⁻¹ (N2), 240 kg ha⁻¹ (N3), and 300 kg ha⁻¹ (N4). The control treatment (D1N4) utilized the local planting density and traditional fertilization methods. Our findings revealed a positive correlation between the maize yield and N application rate, with the maximum yields (13.78–13.88 t ha⁻¹), high WUE (24.42–29.85 kg m⁻³), agronomic efficiency of N (AE_N) (18.11–19.00 kg kg⁻¹), and economic benefits (2.44 × 10⁴–2.47 × 10⁴ CNY ha⁻¹) observed with D2N3 and surface drip fertilization. This was significantly higher than the yield and resource efficiency of traditional fertilization methods and saved fertilizer and production costs. Therefore, adopting surface drip fertilization, adjusting planting density, and optimizing N application rates proved effective in enhancing maize yield and resource utilization efficiency in the Huang-Huai-Hai maize region. Full article

Understanding the distribution of water and nitrate nitrogen in the soil profile is crucial for the reasonable operation of fertigation, and it is also fundamental for controlling and regulating nitrate nitrogen in the root zone, thereby meeting a crop’s requirements. The application rates of fertilizer and water directly influence this distribution of water and nitrate nitrogen. However, the effects in Aeolian sandy soil, a type of developing soil bordering deserts, remain ambiguous. In this study, field experiments for different drip fertigation treatments in Aeolian sandy soil were conducted to investigate the soil water distribution, as well as that of nitrate nitrogen. A completely randomized experimental design was implemented, encompassing three levels of irrigation amount: low (W1), medium (W2), and high (W3), and three levels of nitrogen application rate: low (F1), medium (F2), high (F3). After the completion of each irrigation treatment, soil samples were extracted at 10–20 cm intervals. The soil water and nitrate nitrogen contents in the profiles of these samples were measured. The experimental results revealed that increasing the nitrogen application rate facilitated the retention of greater amounts of water and nitrate nitrogen in the soil profile. However, with an increase in the nitrogen application rate, both soil water and nitrate nitrogen exhibited a radial tendency to move away from the drip emitter. Some moved upward and accumulated in surface soil near a ridge furrow, while some moved downward and remained in a deeper area approximately 30 cm horizontally from the emitter at depths of 40–60 cm. The uniformity of the water distribution decreased with increasing nitrogen application under low water conditions, with a reversal of this trend observed in medium and high water treatments. The effect of nitrogen application level on the uniformity of the nitrate nitrogen distribution was not significant. There was no significant correlation between the average soil water content and nitrate nitrogen content along the horizontal direction, however, a positive correlation existed in the vertical direction. In the whole profile, increasing the nitrogen application enhanced the correlation under low water conditions, but under medium and high water conditions, this trend was the opposite. This implies that, to avoid nitrate nitrogen leaching or limiting in a specific area, a moderate nitrogen application level is advisable. Under low water conditions, nitrogen application showed a positive effect on the nitrate nitrogen content, and a higher application is recommended. In cases of substantial water irrigation or rainy years, the nitrogen application rate should be decreased. Full article

Numerous plastic products are used in agriculture, including containers, packaging, tunnels, drip irrigation tubing, and mulches. Large amounts of plastics are used as mulches on the soil surface for vegetable and fruit production (tomato, cucumber, watermelon, strawberry, and vine) to reduce weed competition, increase water and fertilizer use efficiency, and enhance crop yield. Portugal uses around 4500 t/year of polyethylene to cover approximately 23,000 ha of agricultural land, and only a small amount is recovered for recycling or secondary uses because of issues of contamination with the soil, vegetation, pesticides, and fertilizers. Cleaning and decontaminating polyethylene mulch are costly, and commercial technology is often not accessible or economical. Most plastic mulch is composed of polyethylene that degrades slowly and produces a large quantity of residues in the soil, with a negative impact on the environment. In the present study, the effects of long-term cultivation of blueberry using green 100% high-density polyethylene mulch in the south Portugal were evaluated for soil chemical and biological changes. High-density green plastic mulch did not contaminate the topsoil with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and heavy metals, buttotal nitrogen, organic carbon concentrations, electric conductivity, and microbial activity were significantly reduced in the planting row compared with the bare soil without mulching. Furthermore, the presence of plastic mulch did not negatively affect the presence of nematodes, and the number of Rhabditida (bacterial feeders) increased in the planting and covered row. Full article