Effects of Straw Strip Covering on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Potato cultivars with Different Maturities in Rain-Fed Area of Northwest China
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear Authors, I think the objectives of the study need to be more elaborated, especially for conducting the second planting with the same treatments. A little bit more serious is data analysis (ANOVA), presentation of the results, and interpretation of them to answer the objective(s) of the study, especially in finding which mulching is best for which variety, as well as in which year. The year should be a very important, which can answer which variety was best in the first planting and which was the best in the second planting (adapting to the growing environment). Therefore, the most crucial to be revised is data analysis and explicit presentation of the results which enable the authors draw the conclusion properly or statistically.
Presenting results of an analysis like in Fig.4 and Fig.6 can only be done if there was a significant interaction effects between the treatment factors, so please show first the ANOVA results. If there was no interaction effect, presentation and interpretation like this cannot be done statistically. The SE error bars are also strange. They are almost never the same between the treatment combinations. In addition, both varieties have to presented in one graph, and comparison has to done both between varieties and mulching treatments at one (two-way comparison).
For a measurement variable showing significant interaction, there has to be comparisons between varieties and between mulching treatments simultaneously. Unfortunately, this is not shown in the Table 1 & Table 2, so that proper interpretation of the analysis results cannot be done properly (this has to be revised).
Significant interactions will show which mulching is best in which variety. If the year is also included as a treatment factor, a significant interaction will enable the researchers to find which mulching will be best in which variety and in which year (maybe a variety will make better adaptation after twice planting with the same treatment, or a variety maybe better in the first planting and worse in the second year.
In addition, if both varieties and mulch treatments also show significant effect, there should be main effect comparisons, so Table 1 and Table 2 should be expanded.
I also made other comments on the DOC file converted from the PDF manuscript, and converted again to PDF.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear reviewer expert,
First of all, thank you for reviewing my manuscript and making valuable amendments. The response to your revision is the attachment，please review.
Thank you again for your review of my manuscript and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes,
Dr. Pengxia Liu
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
1. Abstract is very lengthy concise and make it more result centric
2. Write full form of WUE in keywords
3. Give the global scenario potato production, economic value and briefly mention its importance in food and nutrition security
4. Delete either drought or water shortage line no. 46
5. Delete “How to improve the farmland water … ensure food security in the region” line no. 47-49
6. It will be better to merge schematic and realistic figure together, so would like to suggest merge figure 2 and 3
7. Method and materials are written nicely
8. Do not mention least significant differences (P>0.05) everywhere in the result section as it is already mentioned in the Statistical analysis but put it in the figure /table caption or footnote for better clarity
9. Figure 4 is ok, but gives a detailed caption
10. Revised figure 5 and 7 for better clarity, make prepare it carefully, many things are overlapping
11. Figure 6 is ok but give a detailed caption for it
12. Modify the table 1, 2, and 3, represent the letters of significant in superscript form and also check for the name of variety in row no 1 and 3. Give a footnote for table also indicating what analysis performed etc.
13. Table 4,5 and 6 are ok, it is better to give a footnote for tables for better understanding
14. Delete the sentence “Surface cover can effectively intercept …. farmland soil temperature [16].” line no. 422 -424
15. Give a suitable citation for “The reason for the decrease of …. radiation and thermal radiation” line no. 435-437
16. The discussion section is written nicely but can be modify for better interpretation of results in the discussion section.
17. Modify the conclusion section for more soundness and its applied application in potato production under water deficit condition
Author Response
Dear reviewer expert,
First of all, thank you for reviewing my manuscript and making valuable amendments. The response to your revision is the attachment，please review.
Thank you again for your review of my manuscript and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes,
Dr. Pengxia Liu
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Some minor technical corrections are necessary before the paper could be accepted for publication.
Line 19 WUE - write the full name and put the abbreviation in brackets
Line 424 ck - uppercase letters
Lines 13, 315, 385, and 480 check the end/or beginning of sentences
Figures 5 and 7 legends are not complete
Author Response
Dear reviewer expert,
First of all, thank you for reviewing my manuscript and making valuable amendments. The response to your revision is the attachment，please review.
Thank you again for your review of my manuscript and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes,
Dr. Pengxia Liu
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
GENERAL COMMENTS
The work entitled “Effects of Straw Strip Covering on Yield and Water Use Effi-2 ciency of potato cultivars with different maturities in Rain-fed 3 Area of Northwest China”
RELEVANCE (considering the contribution to the advancement of knowledge): Good.
ORIGINALITY (considering the problem to be studied and the existing knowledge gaps that justify the study): Good.
TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC MERIT: Good.
FINAL OPINION: The work presents quality and merit and can be published. But it is necessary to attend to the following points:
Organize the Introduction with 4 paragraphs of approximately 5 or 6 lines.
What type of soil?
Soil classification according to the WRB. There is a new version of the 2022 WRB, please adapt.
Update the References, because of the 30 references at least 11 are older than the last 10 years.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear reviewer expert,
First of all, thank you for reviewing my manuscript and making valuable amendments. The response to your revision is the attachment，please review.
Thank you again for your review of my manuscript and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes,
Dr. Pengxia Liu
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 5 Report
Research is relevant and interesting.
1. The abstract should be more concrete;
2. No research hypothesis is presented in the introduction;
3. Methods of statistical analysis need to be described more clearly;
4. In the Figures it is not explain what the different letters and vertical bars represent;
5. In the Tables it is not explain what the different letters and asterisks represent;
6. Tn the Table No. 2 rounding of the values must be the same;
7. The conclusions could be more detailed;
8. I recommend not to use old literature sources.
Author Response
Dear reviewer expert,
First of all, thank you for reviewing my manuscript and making valuable amendments. The response to your revision is the attachment，please review.
Thank you again for your review of my manuscript and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes,
Dr. Pengxia Liu
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
