The field production of eggplant in moderate climates is difficult as it depends heavily on thermal conditions. Eggplant is a species that is sensitive to low temperatures, and temperatures below 16ºC constrain the growth of young plants. Other disadvantageous factors include: temperatures that are too high, water shortage and excessive soil humidity. The growth conditions for eggplant can be improved by using mulches. The purpose of the experiment was the assessment of eggplant cropping while using synthetic mulches of polyethylene foil and polypropylene textile. The research took five years (2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012) and on the basis of the obtained results it was possible to determine the influence of weather conditions on the yielding of this species. It was proven that eggplant cropping significantly depended on the air temperature and the amount of rainfall during the vegetation period. The highest yield was observed when the average air temperature was high and at the same time rainfall was evenly distributed throughout the vegetation season. It also turned out that the agro-technical procedure which significantly increased eggplant fruit cropping was mulching the soil with polyethylene black foil, or transparent foil, previously having applied a herbicide.Ke y wor d s: air temperature, polyethylene foil, polypropylene textile, rainfall, Solanum melongena L.
Living mulches can play a crucial role in the protection of the soil against erosion, as well as biological and chemical degradation. Soil fertility and its physical properties, including soil structure, are of special importance to crops. Soil physical properties are affected, among other factors, by the type of tillage. In order to determine the effect of regenerative practice (living mulches) on soil physical properties, a two-factorial experiment was conducted. The first factor involved white clover and perennial ryegrass as an intercropping of eggplant. The second factor was the living mulches sowing term: three weeks before eggplant planting, at the time of planting and three weeks after eggplant planting. Covering eggplant inter-rows with living mulches reduced eggplant yield and was beneficial to soil structure and improved water resistance of soil aggregates. Perennial ryegrass had a slightly more advantageous effect on yield and improvement of soil physical properties, as compared to white clover. The greater eggplant fruit yield was obtained from vegetable grown without companion plants. The application of living mulches (especially Trifolium repens L.) caused a non-significant decrease in eggplant fruit yield. It was found that limiting the growth of seedlings sown on the first date result in a decrease in marketable fruit yield (on average 14%). A similar result occurred when living mulches were sown on the planting date of eggplants and difference between the yields was 4.3%. The first term of sowing living mulches—three weeks before eggplant planting—no significantly affected the mean weighted diameter of soil aggregate (MWDg), the water stability index (ΔMWD), the index of waterproof index (Wod) and the soil structure index (W). Later sowing terms resulted in the improvement of the majority of the parameters; however, this was not confirmed statistically. Soil with periodic mechanical treatment of inter-rows showed the 3–4% lower values of soil porosity, 3–16% increased compactness, as well as 28–30% lower indices soil structure and 28–30% for water resistance of soil aggregates compared to the living mulches system.
SummaryConducted research involved evaluation of selected soil properties in eggplant cultivation with the use of living mulches from white clover and perennial ryegrass. The mulching species were sown three weeks before eggplant planting, in the term of planting and three weeks after planting this vegetable. In half of August there was assessed stability of soil aggregates on the basis of the following indicators of: cloddiness (B), misting (S), structure (W) of the soil and mean weighed diameter of aggregates -the dry method (MWDa), as well as water stability ( MWD) and waterproof (Wod) index of soil aggregates and mean weighed diameter of aggregates -the wet method (MWDg). Cover plants did significantly decrease soil cloddiness indicator, while the earliest term of their sowing contributed to lowering of that parameter values by nearly 1/3 in relation to the data obtained for mechanically treated plots. Indicator of misting of the soil and soil structure index was higher for the soil of inter -rows covered with living mulches. It was noticed that longer term of covering interrows with white clover and perennial ryegrass improved soil structure. Living mulches improved mean weighed diameter of aggregates, determined according to the wet method, as well as indicator of aggregates waterproof and water stability index. After sowing white clover or perennial ryegrass three weeks before eggplant planting, mean weighed diameter of aggregates, measured with the use of the wet method, was higher by 29.0% and by 18.3% than the one characterizing the object with the last term of sowing and it was higher by 31.4% and 17.1% than the value determined for mechanically treated inter -rows. ΔMWD indicator for the soil covered with white clover and with perennial ryegrass was, average, by 15.5% and 34.7% higher than the data featuring mechanical treatment. For Wod index those differences amounted 18.8% and 9.7% respectively.
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