Abstract: | In this paper, we deal with the global existence and nonexistence of solutions to a diffusive polytropic filtration system with nonlinear boundary conditions. By constructing various kinds of sub- and super-solutions and using the basic properties of M-matrix, we give the necessary and sufficient conditions for global existence of nonnegative solutions, which extend the recent results of Li et al. (Z Angew Math Phys 60:284–298, 2009) and Wang et al. (Nonlinear Anal 71:2134–2140, 2009) to more general equations and simplify their proofs slightly. |