Evaluation of the effect of soil mulching with plant residues on the waterregime of agroecosystems

A model for forming a water regime in an agricultural field covered with a straw mulch layer has been presented. The model was designed to quantitativ ely evaluate mulching efficiency in terms of increasing the water supply of crops and their yield capacity in a wide range of territories that differ in climatic and soil conditions. The model was verified while studying the mulching effect on some parameters of the water regime and spring wheat yie ld in specific sites of steppe and forest-steppe zones of European Russia.