scholarly journals EFFECT OF SPECTRAL QUALITIES OF PLASTIC MULCH ON WEED DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 251c-251
Author(s):  
Fahrurrozi Aziz ◽  
Katrine A. Stewart

The types of plastic mulch used in horticultural production often fulfill only a few of the grower's needs. Black plastic mulch controls weeds, but can burn young plants. Clear mulch, while warming the soil and enhancing early crop growth, allows prolific weed growth and development. Accordingly, an experiment using a randomized complete-block design with-four replications was set up to compare the effects of black, microperforated black, silver, and wavelength-selective (IRT-76) green mulches, and bare soil on weed growth and development, and on soil temperature and moisture. Each mulch was evaluated for its optical properties. All mulches significantly reduced final stands of seeded weeds compared with bare soil. IRT-76 green had the warmest mean soil temperatures, followed by silver, black, and microperforated black mulches, and bare soil. Soil moisture content was generally higher under plastic mulches than bare soil.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-394
Author(s):  
Fabio Luiz Oliveira ◽  
Cristiano Henrique P Venturim ◽  
Diego Mathias N Silva ◽  
Mateus Augusto L Quaresma ◽  
Leandro P Dalvi

ABSTRACT In Brazil, studies on commercial exploitation of yacon are still scarce. A growing interest in this vegetable has demanded some researches on this crop cultivation management, though. Considering that yacon has a long cycle, which exposes the soil, studies on mulch management will be of great value. We used a randomized complete block design, with five replicates, under different soil mulches for yacon cultivation: two plastic film covers (black and double-sided), four mulches (corn husk, coffee husk in three levels), and the control (bare soil). Plastic mulch can be used for yacon cultivation, considering that the double sided plastic provides greater production of total roots; however, the same yield of the most valued roots was obtained using black plastic. The second highest total productivity and the highest commercial yield in the most valued root classes were obtained using 50 L m-² of coffee husk as mulch, representing a good alternative for farmers.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
M. A. Chozin ◽  
Uang G. Kartika ◽  
Raisa Baharudin

<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>The objective of this study was to  determine the effect of  Arachis  pintoi planting  as bio-mulch on growth and yield of tomato and weed growth.  An experiment was conducted at Cikabayan, University Farm of IPB, from January to June 2010. The research was arranged  in a  randomized Complete Block Design with 3 replications. The results of this study showed  the g rowth and speed of coverage of  A. pintoi  in this experiment was relatively slow. The use of mulch improved the growth, yield components and production of tomatoes.  The best mulch was a plastic mulch.  The best planting period of A. pintoi as bio-mulch was 7 and 10 weeks before planting.</p><p>Key words: bio- mulch, growth, silver black plastic mulch, yield</p><p> </p><p>ABSTRAK</p><p>Penelitian  ini  bertujuan  untuk  mengetahui  pengaruh  penanaman  Arachis pintoi  sebagai  biomulsa dalam  menghambat  pertumbuhan  gulma  dan meningkatkan  pertumbuhan  dan  produksi  tanaman  tomat. Penelitian dilaksanakan di kebun percobaan Cikabayan- UF IPB, Darmaga Bogor dari Januari sampai Juni 2010.  Percobaan  menggunakan  Rancangan  Kelompok Lengkap  Teracak  (RKLT)  faktor  tunggal,  yaitu dengan  4  perlakuan  waktu tanam  A.  pintoi  dan  2  pembanding:  M0  (m onokultur  tanaman  tomat tanpa mulsa),  M1  (monukultur  tanaman  tomat  dengan  mulsa  plastik hitam perak),  M 2  ( 10  minggu  A.  pintoisebelum  tomat ditanam), M3 (7 minggu A. pintoi sebelum tomat ditanam), M4 ( 4 minggu A. pintoi sebelumtomat ditanam), dan M5 ( 1 minggu A. pintoi sebelum tomat ditanam ). Hasil percobaan menunjukkan bahwa persentase tumbuh dan kecepatan penutupan A. pintoi  relatif lambat. Tanaman tomat yang ditanam dengan biomulsa  A. pintoi 10 dan 7 minggu sebelum tanam menunjukkan persentase tumbuh dan pertumbuhan yang lebih baik dibandingkan perlakuan mulsa plastik hitam perak (MPHP)  maupun perlakuan tanpa mulsa. Perlakuan biomulsa A. pintoi 10 dan 7 minggu sebelum tanam (MSbT) serta perlakuan mulsa plastik hitam perak (MPHP) meningkatkan komponen pertumbuhan dan produksi buah tomat.</p><p>Kata kunci: biomulsa, pertumbuhan, mulsa plastik hitam perak, produksi</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Márcia M Echer ◽  
Graciela M Dalastra ◽  
Tiago L Hachmann ◽  
Elcio S Klosowski ◽  
Vandeir F Guimarães

An important aspect in the cultivation of vegetables is the quality of the product to be marketed, free from dirt and damage and the practice of mulching could be an option, but there is scarse information. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of mulching on the production traits of three cultivars of Pak Choi. The experiment was set up during March to May 2013 using a split plot randomized block design, with four replications. Soil cover treatments (white agrotextile, black agrotextile, black plastic, silver plastic, tifton straw and bare soil) were arranged in the plots, and three cultivars of Pak Choi (Green Pak Choi, White Pak Choi and Chingensai Natsu Shomi) in subplots. Height and diameter of shoots, number of leaves, fresh weight of the head and petiole, base diameter, dry weight of stem, petiole, and leaf were evaluated thirty-five days after transplantation. The total dry weight and leaf area were measured, and then we estimated the yield. There was a significant effect of soil cover and cultivar. In general, the cover with synthetic materials showed higher values on production of Pak Choi. The cultivar White Pak Choi was better adapted to the growing conditions, with an average yield of 57.78 t/ha.


2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Ibarra-Jiménez ◽  
M. R. Quezada-Martín ◽  
M. de la Rosa-Ibarra

To determine the effectiveness of black plastic mulch alone and in combination with row covers, on growth and physiological changes of cucumber plants, 6 treatments were established in a randomised complete block design with 4 replications: bare soil (control); black polyethylene mulch alone (B); B plus a clear cover of perforated polyethylene (BRCP); B plus a white cover of perforated polyethylene (BRWP); B plus an Agribon cover of polypropylene (BRA); and B plus a Kimberly farm row cover (BRK). For the plants grown with mulch or mulch combined with row covers, the dry weight of leaves 50 days after seeding (DAS), and the dry weight of whole plants (at 50 and 110 DAS) were significantly (P<0.05) different from the control. Early yields of treatments B, BRCP, BRWP, BRA and BRK were 2.1, 1.9, 2.6, 1.9 and 2.4 times higher than the control, which yielded 10 t/ha. Total yields were increased by 9.7, 15.4, 19.8, 14.9 and 20 t/ha, over the control which yielded 104 t/ha. Increases in plant dry weight explained the changes in yield. Stomatal conductance may explain in part, the increase in photosynthetic rate, but may not explain yield increase.


2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lane Greer ◽  
John M. Dole

For decades, vegetable growers have used black polyethylene mulch to warm the soil in early spring, reduce weeds, and conserve soil moisture. Use of plastic mulch can increase crop yields and improve fruit quality. This article reviews research performed with plastic, aluminum foil, aluminum-painted, and degradable mulches. Most research focused on the effects of plastic mulches on insects and viruses they vector, and on yields. Aluminum foil and aluminum-painted mulches are effective at repelling insect pests, especially aphids (Aphididae) and thrips (Thripidae). Yields are often higher with black plastic compared to bare ground. Clear plastic is rarely used in the U.S. because it can encourage weed growth, unless a herbicide or fumigant is used underneath. Colored mulches can increase yields and control pests, but color may be less important than brightness of the mulch or contrast with bare soil. New forms of photodegradable mulches eliminate the need to remove and dispose of plastic at the end of the growing season, but have not been widely adapted because they tend to degrade prematurely.


HortScience ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 443d-443
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Schultheis ◽  
David W. Monks

Bedded sweetpotatoes are often covered with a rowcover to enhance sprouting. Our study was conducted to evaluate several rowcovers for earliness, plant yield, and plant quality (weight). In 1993 and 1994, variety (`Beauregard' and `Jewel') and rowcovers (clear plastic; black plastic; photodegradable plastic; infrared transmissible plastic; Reemay polyester cover; and black plastic, which was then covered with a black plastic tunnel) were evaluated for their effects on plant production. Holes ≈1 cm in diameter were punched in the plastic ≈2 weeks after planting to prevent exposing the seed roots to excessively high temperatures. Rowcovers were removed when plants began emerging from the soil, except for Reemay and the black plastic tunnels, which remained in place over the bedded plants until first plant harvest. Black plastic tunnels were placed back over the treatment bed each time plants were harvested. When 50% of the plants were 25 cm tall, all plants from the plot were cut 1 to 2 cm above the soil line. Plots were arranged in a randomized complete-block design and replicated five times. `Jewel' produced plants earlier than `Beauregard'. Covering beds with black plastic mulch and tunnels resulted in the first plant cutting being up to 42 days earlier than the other treatments, with no rowcover treatments producing plants the latest. The second earliest cutting was obtained when beds were covered with Reemay rowcover. Plant fresh weight was greater with the no cover treatments; black plastic tunnel treatments produced the lowest weight plants. Using black plastic tunnels consistently produced more plants than the other treatments. In the future, using rowcovers to enhance slower sprouting varieties should be examined.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 224-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry G. Gordon ◽  
Wheeler G. Foshee ◽  
Stewart T. Reed ◽  
James E. Brown ◽  
Edgar L. Vinson

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus ‘Clemson Spineless’) was grown on an Orangeburg sandy loam soil in Shorter, AL. Okra was direct-seeded in single rows. Treatments consisted of five mulch colors: black, white, red, silver, and blue installed either with or without spun-bonded row cover. Soil temperatures were 4 to 7 °C lower than air temperatures in all treatments. The use of darker (black, blue, red) -colored plastic mulches increased early and total yield of okra compared with bare soil with and without row cover. Increased soil and air temperatures did not always correlate to an increase in yield. It can be concluded that the use of dark plastic mulch is advantageous to growers of okra in climates that do not have cool springs, but the added use of row covers to plastic mulch has no effect on growth and yield. The profit of marketable okra produced using a row cover was $1.37 versus $1.35 per pound without a cover in 2003 and $1.28 versus $1.29 per pound in 2004. Blue plastic mulch is ≈$0.08 per foot more expensive than black plastic. Our data do not show an economic advantage for blue over black mulch for okra, but the positive effect cited by other authors may be more pronounced with leafy vegetables.


Poljoprivreda ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-44
Author(s):  
Olawale Arogundade ◽  
Abiodun Salawu ◽  
Adeyemi Osijo ◽  
Kehinde T. Kareem

Sweet pepper is attacked by a number of viruses which cause serious yield losses for many growers. The influence of mulching on virus disease incidence in sweet pepper was studied under irrigation in NIHORT. Healthy seedlings were transplanted to the field and arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Different mulch used included air-dried leaves of Azadirachta indica (Neem), Tithonia diversifolia (Tithonia), Neem + Tithonia (w/w) and plastic mulch (white, black and yellow) while the control had no mulch. Incidence and severity of virus-like diseases on growth and yield were evaluated. Result indicated that plants grown using white plastic mulch had the lowest disease incidence of 34.43%. Plants grown with Tithonia, Neem, and Neem + Tithonia mulch had high disease incidence of 100%, 88%, and 90.60% respectively. Average virus disease severity ranged from 2.30 and 3.33 on a scale of 1-5 scoring system. Symptoms observed on symptomatic plants include mosaic, mottle, wrinkle and leaf reduction. Plots treated with black plastic mulch produced the lowest fruit weight, while the white and yellow plastic mulch induced highest fruit weight found. The results obtained showed that white and yellow plastic mulches are effective management options for viruses of sweet pepper.


HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 681e-681
Author(s):  
B.W. Roberts ◽  
Jeff Anderson

Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) was grown in 1989, 1990, and 1991. Cultural modifications were used in an effort to alleviate heat stress, improve fruit set, reduce sunscald, and improve yield quantity and quality. Treatments included bare soil, plastic mulch (both black and white), straw mulch, living rye (Secale cereale) mulch, and row covers (white and black) suspended above the foliage. Soil temperature at 2.5, 10, and 20 cm, soil moisture at 20 cm, and yield parameters were recorded. In general, plots containing white rowcovers produced good yields each year, straw mulched plots produced good yields two out of three years, plots with black plastic mulch gave poor yields two out of three years, and plots with living rye gave consistently poor yields. Yield inconsistency from year to year was correlated with, and can be explained by, soil temperatures. Sunscald was reduced by rowcovers.


2017 ◽  
pp. 44-54
Author(s):  
Zenaida Gonzaga ◽  
Warren Obeda ◽  
Ana Linda Gorme ◽  
Jessie Rom ◽  
Oscar Abrantes ◽  
...  

Okra or Lady’s finger, botanically known as Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, is a tropical and sub-tropical indigenous vegetable crop commonly grown for its fibrous, slimy, and nutritious fruits and consumed by all classes of population. It has also several medicinal and economic values. Despite its many uses and potential value, its importance is under estimated, under-utilized, and considered a minor crop and little attention was paid to its improvement. The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different planting densities and mulching materials on the growth and yield of okra grown in slightly sloping area in the marginal uplands in Sta. Rita, Samar, Philippines. A split-plot experiment was set up with planting density as main plot and the different mulching materials as the sub-plot which were: unmulched or bare soil, rice straw, rice hull, hagonoy and plastic mulch. Planting density did not significantly affect the growth and yield of okra. Regardless ofthe mulching materials used, mulched plants were taller and yielded higher compared to unmulched plants. Moreover, the use of plastic mulch resulted to the highest total fruit yield. The results indicate the potential of mulching in increasing yield and thus profitability of okra production under marginal upland conditions.


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