Depletion of soil organic carbon stocks are larger under plastic film mulching for maize

To determine the effect of plastic film mulching (FM) on changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, the annual C balances were determined by analysing the net ecosystem C budget (NECB), which means the difference between total C input and output, under FM and with no mulching for 2 years. Plots with black FM and no mulching were installed as the main treatment, and chemical and organic fertilizer plots were placed within each main plot as sub‐treatments. In the organic fertilizer treatment, a mixture of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) was cultivated as a cover crop during fallow seasons, and its whole biomass (9.1–13.9 Mg ha−1, DW) was recycled as green manure. Plastic film mulching significantly increased the maize yield (p