scholarly journals Mulch Color Influence on Annual Hill Plasticulture Strawberries

HortScience ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 596B-596
Author(s):  
David G. Himelrick
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Late Season ◽  
Top Performers ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Black Plastic

The effect of seven types of plastic mulches on total, early, and late season yield was evaluated for three years in the annual hill strawberry production system. Black plastic mulches differed only from the significantly reduced yields found on unmulched bare ground treatments. Although not significantly different in any year, the top performing mulch treatments varied with production year and cultivar. In the wet and warm harvest season of 1991, the highest yielding treatments were IRT-76, clear, and ALOR-brown. In the dry and cool 1992 season, the top performers were white on black, black, and ALOR-brown. For the cool and moderately wet 1993 season, the best performance was recorded on black, white on black, and clear. Average soil temperatures from warmest to coolest were found with black, black on white, clear, IRT-76, ALOR-brown, red, silver, white on black, and bare soil treatments.

scholarly journals Mulch Effects on Floral Resources and Fruit Production of Squash, and on Pollination and Nesting by Squash Bees

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin E. Splawski ◽  
Emilie E. Regnier ◽  
S. Kent Harrison ◽  
Karen Goodell ◽  
Mark A. Bennett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Pollinator Attraction ◽  
Available Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Black Plastic ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Floral Resource

Zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo) has a high pollination demand, and the native, ground-nesting squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa) provides the majority of the crop’s pollination requirement in some environments. Squash bees nest directly in crop fields, and nests can be disturbed by tillage and other management operations. Mulches that use municipal waste materials may provide a weed control strategy for squash plantings that is more benign to squash bees than cultivation. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted in 2011 and 2012 to compare the effects of nontillage weed control methods including polyethylene black plastic, woodchips, shredded newspaper, a combination of shredded newspaper plus grass clippings (NP + grass), and bare soil (control) on soil characteristics, squash pollination and fruit production, and squash bee nesting. Woodchips, shredded newspaper, and NP + grass mulch decreased soil temperature, while soils beneath newspaper mulch retained more moisture. Unmarketable, misshapen fruit occurred more frequently in plastic than in the other mulch treatments. No measurable differences in floral resource production or crop pollination were found among treatments, suggesting that misshapen fruit resulted from high soil temperatures in black plastic plots rather than poor pollinator attraction. Squash bee nests were located within bare soil, newspaper, and NP + grass plots, indicating that these mulches did not prevent nesting. NP + grass mulch had a positive effect on plant growth and fruit production, possibly from an addition of plant-available nitrogen or the presence of preferable nesting ground. Shredded newspaper when combined with grass clippings performed as an effective mulch material that improved crop performance with no apparent negative impacts on squash bee nesting or on squash floral resources and pollination.

scholarly journals Influence of Colored Plastic Mulches on Soil Temperature and Muskmelon Root Respiration

HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 802A-802
Author(s):  
John Jifon*
Keyword(s):  
Root Respiration ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Clear Plastic ◽  
Black Plastic ◽  
Marketable Fruit

Use of plastic mulch to increase rhizosphere temperatures is a common practice in spring production of vegetable crops. However, supraoptimal soil temperatures during the fruit maturation period in early summer can impair root function and reduce produce quality. The effects of colored plastic mulch on rhizosphere temperature and `Primo' muskmelon root respiration were investigated in the field during Fall (Aug.-Nov. 2002) and Spring (Mar.-May 2003) seasons. Rhizosphere temperatures (measured at 0.1 m below the soil surface with thermo-couples) and respiration under four plastic mulches (black, silver, white, and clear), and a bare ground control were studied. The soil warming properties of the different mulches differed between Spring and Fall. Bare ground rhizosphere temperatures declined from ≈33 to 21°C in the Fall and increased from 14 to 26 °C in Spring. In both studies, black and clear plastic mulches had the highest rhizosphere warming effects (3-8 °C) compared to bare ground. In the Fall, average midday soil temperatures under the white and silver mulches were 2-3 °C cooler than the bare ground treatment. Canopy establishment was accelerated by plastic mulches in Spring but not in Fall. Root + soil respiration was positively correlated with measured rhizosphere temperatures (r = 0.69), with the highest respiration rates recorded under the clear and black plastic mulches. More than 80% of fruits from the clear plastic treatment were deformed and unmarketable. The number of marketable fruit was similar among the black, white and silver mulch treatments and significantly greater (32% in Spring & 12% in Fall) than in the bare ground treatments.

scholarly journals WATERMELON SEEDLING MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH Pythium aphanidermatum

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 873a-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren Roberts ◽  
Benny Bruton ◽  
Jonathan Edelson ◽  
Wenhua Lu ◽  
Penny Perkins-Veazie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citrullus Lanatus ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Pythium Aphanidermatum ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Predominant Pathogen ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Black Plastic

Forty-one cultivars of triploid and diploid watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) were grown at Lane, Oklahoma in 2003. Seeds were placed in Jiffy-9 pellets in a greenhouse on 21 May. Fields were prepared with raised beds 1 m wide covered with black plastic. Plots were 3 m wide by 15 m long, with 4 replications, arranged as a randomized complete block. Seedlings were transplanted to the field on 4 June. From 4–9 June, rainfall occurred 5 days. Maximum soil temperatures at 5 cm, under bare soil, from 1–9 June were 34, 34, 35, 26, 22, 26, 31, 29, and 32 °C, respectively. On 9 June, 84% of the seedlings were dead. Lesions were observed on the roots and stems and isolations were made from symptomatic tissues. The predominant pathogen isolated from the seedlings was Pythium aphanidermatum. Some of the cultivars appear to have some degree of resistance to P. aphanidermatum. Mortality among the cultivars, averaged across all replications, ranged from 33% to 100%. The cultivars with the lowest mortality were “Tri-X Carousel” (33%), `Sunny' (40%), `WT-02-31' (53%), `Ole' (58%), and `Tri-X Palomar' (68%). New seeds were seeded in the greenhouse on 16 June, and transplanted to the field on June 30. The replacement seedlings were planted in the same field, in the same location as the previous plants. Maximum soil temperatures for the two week interval following the second planting ranged from 33 to 39 °C, with only one rain of 0.8 cm occurring 10 days after planting. There was no apparent plant loss due to P. aphidermatum in the second planting.

scholarly journals Effects of Mulch and Irrigation System on Sweet Onion: II. The Epidemiology of Center Rot

2004 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.D. Gitaitis ◽  
R.R. Walcott ◽  
H.F. Sanders ◽  
L. Zolobowska ◽  
J.C. Diaz-Perez
Keyword(s):  
Irrigation System ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Symptom Expression ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Late Season ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Duration Of Infection ◽  
Black Plastic ◽  
Effect On Yield

Mulch (black plastic, wheat straw, or bare ground) and irrigation (drip or overhead sprinkler) treatments were evaluated for their effect on center rot of onion (Allium cepa L.), caused by the bacterium Pantoea ananatis, over the course of two seasons. Irrigation type had no effect on center rot incidence or severity in either year. In contrast, center rot development was delayed by 7 to 14 days on onions grown in straw mulch or bare ground compared to those in black plastic. Straw mulch resulted in later harvest dates and was associated with reduced levels of center rot. In contrast, black plastic increased disease incidence and hastened the onset of the epidemic. The spatial distribution of disease incidence in both years indicated the presence of a primary disease gradient. At harvest, infected plants were segregated by treatment and by duration of infection [based on disease ratings taken from the time of first symptom expression (beginning at 110 to 120 days after transplanting and then every 5 to 10 days until harvest)]. Early-vs. late-infected plants had no significant effect on yield (bulb weight). However, symptom expression in terms of the number of days after planting was significantly correlated with a disease severity index. Amount of rot in bulbs from plants displaying their first symptoms only 1 to 2 days before harvest (late-season infection) was not significant from rot levels in control bulbs at harvest. However, at 4 weeks after harvest, onions from plants with late-season infections exhibited significantly more rot in storage compared to the control.

scholarly journals The Effects of Colored Plastic Mulches and Row Covers on the Growth and Yield of Okra

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 224-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry G. Gordon ◽  
Wheeler G. Foshee ◽  
Stewart T. Reed ◽  
James E. Brown ◽  
Edgar L. Vinson
Keyword(s):  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Row Covers ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Black Plastic

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.

scholarly journals Performance of Paper Mulches Using a Mechanical Plastic Layer and Water Wheel Transplanter for the Production of Summer Squash

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Coolong
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Layer ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Kraft Paper ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Summer Squash ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Water Wheel ◽  
Black Plastic

Polyethylene mulches are widely used in vegetable production. Advantages include improving yields, controlling weeds, and enhancing quality. However, the removal and disposal of plastic mulch used for vegetable production represents a significant financial cost for farmers and can be detrimental to the environment. A study was conducted in Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 evaluating the performance of paper mulches for the production of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo ssp. ovifera) ‘Conqueror III’. Four paper mulches, 50-lb kraft paper, 50-lb polyethylene-coated kraft paper, 40-lb white butcher paper, and 30-lb waxed paper were compared with 1-mil black polyethylene mulch, bare-ground hand-weeded, and bare-ground nonweeded treatments. Mulches were placed using a traditional plastic mulch layer and seedlings were transplanted using a water wheel transplanter. Crop yield and quality, weed biomass, soil temperatures under the mulch (Spring 2008 only), and mulch degradation were evaluated. Most paper mulches were able to be placed with a mulch layer, but were not well suited for use with a water wheel transplanter. In Fall 2007, butcher paper and polyethylene-coated kraft paper controlled weeds as well as black plastic mulch. However, in Spring 2008, black plastic mulch provided superior weed control compared with other mulches. Yields among waxed, butcher, and polyethylene-coated kraft papers were similar to black plastic mulch in 2007, though yields in paper mulch plots were significantly less than plastic mulch in Spring 2008. The results of this study suggest that although paper mulches can be effective, cropping conditions and the environment will influence effectiveness.

scholarly journals CULTURAL MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES FOR ALLEVIATION OF HEAT STRESS IN BELL PEPPERS

HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 681e-681
Author(s):  
B.W. Roberts ◽  
Jeff Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Row Covers ◽  
Yield Parameters ◽  
Bell Peppers ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Black Plastic ◽  
Cultural Modification

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.

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
Keyword(s):  
Growth And Development ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Weed Growth ◽  
Randomized Complete Block Design ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Black Plastic ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Soil Temperature And Moisture

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.

scholarly journals Quality control of 10-min soil temperatures data at RMI

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Bertrand ◽  
L. González Sotelino ◽  
M. Journée
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Temperature Observation ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Different Depths ◽  
Temperature Records ◽  
Energy Processes

Abstract. Soil temperatures at various depths are unique parameters useful to describe both the surface energy processes and regional environmental and climate conditions. To provide soil temperature observation in different regions across Belgium for agricultural management as well as for climate research, soil temperatures are recorded in 13 of the 20 automated weather stations operated by the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) of Belgium. At each station, soil temperature can be measured at up to 5 different depths (from 5 to 100 cm) in addition to the bare soil and grass temperature records. Although many methods have been developed to identify erroneous air temperatures, little attention has been paid to quality control of soil temperature data. This contribution describes the newly developed semi-automatic quality control of 10-min soil temperatures data at RMI.

scholarly journals Agronomic performances of Pak Choi grown with different soil cover

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Márcia M Echer ◽  
Graciela M Dalastra ◽  
Tiago L Hachmann ◽  
Elcio S Klosowski ◽  
Vandeir F Guimarães
Keyword(s):  
Soil Cover ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Pak Choi ◽  
Randomized Block Design ◽  
Black Plastic ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
Set Up

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.

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