Drip irrigation lateral spacing and mulching affects the wetting pattern, shoot-root regulation, and yield of maize in a sand-layered soil

Soil with a 20–60 cm thick subsoil (60–90 cm below the surface) sand layer has been recently reclaimed to exploit its grain production potential in an arid region in northwest China. A 2-year field study was conducted in the Hetao irrigation district to investigate the effects of lateral spacing and soil mulching methods under drip irrigation on the soil moisture, NO3−, shoot-root regulation, and water use efficiency (WUE) of spring maize. The...