Effects of Mulching on Crop Growth, Productivity and Yield

Ahmad, Adeel; Yaseen, Muhammad; Hussain, Hammad; Tahir, Muhammad Naveed; Gondal, Aqarab Husnain; Iqbal, Muhammad Shahid; Aziz, Amir; Irfan, Muhammad; Ahmad, Zahoor

doi:10.1007/978-981-19-6410-7_14

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…These results along with the previous studies indicate that mulching plays an important role in the conservation and retention of soil moisture in the root zone [5][6][7][8]. It has also been shown that drip irrigation with mulch improves soil moisture in citrus and other crops [9][10][11]16]. The review by Chai et al (2016) indicated that regulated drip irrigation (RDI) improves tree growth, as well as soil moisture under drought stress [27].…”

Section: Sensor-based Soil Moisture Distribution In the Irrigated Zonesupporting

confidence: 51%

“…A study on early season peaches also reported that soil moisture levels were 10% higher under the extended-reflective mulch compared to similar bare ground areas [16]. Additionally, in New Zealand, the reflective mulch treatment improved peach quality, increasing soluble solids (SSC), dry matter content, flesh firmness, and taste panel scores [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Water Use Efficiency in Young Citrus Trees on Metalized UV Reflective Mulch Compared to Bare Ground

Ghoveisi

Kadyampakeni

Qureshi

et al. 2023

Water

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A precise estimation of plant water use is crucial for efficient irrigation management and understanding of plant–water interactions. Metalized-polyethylene mulch as a ground cover, combined with irrigation management, can improve water and fertilizer use, efficiency growth, and yield of young citrus trees, compared to bare ground. Thus, a study was undertaken to (i) compare daily water use, using the stem heat balance (SHB) method on ≤4-year-old citrus trees using three irrigation methods, and (ii) to determine soil moisture content, as well as total available soil water (TASW) in the irrigated zone. Three irrigation methods, regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), conventional drip irrigation (CD), and microsprinkler irrigation (MS), were applied on two sandy soils in central and southwest Florida with treatments further split between trees grown on 2.4 m mulched beds (M) and bare ground (NM) to form a factorial design. Measurements included sap flow, canopy size, leaf area index (LAI) and soil moisture. The result of this study shows greater values for the trunk cross-sectional area, canopy volume and LAI for both mulch treatments, in comparison to bare ground treatments. The sap flow data suggest that RDI resulted in higher water use than both CD and MS. The hourly sap flow was 120, 99 and 163% greater in M-RDI than M-CD, NM-CD and NM-MS, respectively. Mulched ground cover showed a higher soil moisture average at all soil layers (8-, 15- and 45-cm depth). For instance, the mulched ground cover showed higher soil moisture (37%) at a 15 cm depth at the Entisol site, followed by 30% at a 45 cm depth and 25.3% at depth 45 cm for the Spodosol site. The TASW values varied between 100 to 136% for both mulch and bare ground treatments. The irrigation systems used showed water contents close to field capacity, indicating that water was not limiting despite the different irrigation schedules. The high-water uptake is ascribed to frequent irrigation applications and pulses, and improved water distribution in the irrigated zone as a result of the mulch. These findings demonstrate the potential of metalized-polyethylene mulch and regulated drip irrigation to enhance water use efficiency.

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Section: Sensor-based Soil Moisture Distribution In the Irrigated Zonesupporting

confidence: 51%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Use Efficiency in Young Citrus Trees on Metalized UV Reflective Mulch Compared to Bare Ground

Ghoveisi

Kadyampakeni

Qureshi

et al. 2023

Water

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“…This may be due to additional advantages conferred by mulching as increased infiltration and moisture storage. More so, retention of mulch has been reported to increase soil biological activity (Zamir et al, 2013) for sustainable soil productivity and increased yield (Ahmad et al, 2022).…”

Section: Maize Yieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

One-time conventional tillage, crop diversification and mulching enhanced hydro-physical properties of a tropical sandy loam soil

Parker,

Logah,

Opoku

et al. 2024

Agro-Sci.

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Effective soil management is crucial to sustainable crop production in the Anthropocene characterized by intensive and mechanized agrarian activities. This study analyzed integrated measures involving one-time conventional or mechanical tillage followed by no tillage and cereal-legume rotation in the context of conservation agriculture. The aim was to improve the hydro-physical properties of a sandy loam soil located in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana. Twelve treatments arranged in factorial viz. (a) two levels of tillage (continuous conventional tillage of ploughing and harrowing, and one-time conventional to no tillage), (b) three levels of cropping sequence (maize monoculture, cowpea monoculture and cowpea-maize rotation) and (c) two levels of crop residue management (no mulch and mulch) were evaluated. Soil aggregate size distribution and stability, penetration resistance and some hydraulic properties, namely, saturated hydraulic conductivity, infiltration rate and sorptivity, were measured. Interaction between onetime conventional tillage and maize-cowpea rotation increased soil aggregate stability by 34%, with greater proportions in the macro aggregate size range than the interaction of same cropping sequence with continuous conventional tillage. Integrating surface mulch with tillage and maize-cowpea sequence increased mean weight diameter of water stable aggregates from 0.66 to 0.85 mm compared to similar integrated system without mulch. One-time conventional tillage increased cumulative infiltration amount by 45% and sorptivity from 7.51 to 12.24 cm h–1 over continuous conventional tillage. Generally, the interaction of one-time conventional tillage with maize-cowpea rotation or maize monoculture and mulch improved grain yield and the soil hydraulic properties of cumulative infiltration, steady state infiltrability and sorptivity. Diversifying tillage operations within the framework of conservation agriculture holds promise for improving soil hydraulic properties and crop yield in sub-Saharan Africa in the era of climate change.

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“…For onions, mulch can be used to manage soil moisture evaporation, providing soil moisture conservation of higher percentage compared to non-mulched ground (Rachel et al, 2018;Li et al, 2021). Additionally, it can lower soil temperature in the vicinity of plant roots, enhance the presence of organic matter in the soil, suppress the growth of weeds, and curb erosion (Adnan et al, 2020;Ahmad et al, 2022). Agostini et al (2010) and Pinheiro et al (2018) demonstrated that the effectiveness of nitrogen fertiliser can be enhanced through mulching, which helps to minimise nutrient loss by reducing nitrate leaching and ammonia volatilisation and increase nitrogen use efficiency.…”

Section: Mulchingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water management and irrigation for bulb onion (Allium cepa L.) growth and development in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

Aku,

Kristiansen,

Coleman

2023

apjsafe

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Water is crucial for nutrient intake, transportation, temperature regulation, and photosynthesis in bulb onion (Allium cepa L.) growth and development. Water scarcity, caused by climate variability and particularly during prolonged dry periods, has proved to be an obstacle to cultivating bulb onions in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Highlands. Farmers have a limited grasp of the interdependence of soil, water, and plants. They have traditionally depended on precipitation, and water from streams and rivers, to irrigate their bulb onion crops. The main method for providing irrigation support is manual irrigation, with agricultural organisations assisting with basic irrigation technologies. Despite farmers and organisations efforts to improve irrigation practices, the prolonged dry season still raises labour demands for bulb onion farms. Farmers’ lack of knowledge about irrigation technology and soil water conservation contributes to this issue. Moreover, the lack of irrigation suppliers worsens the issue of limited soil water in onion farms. This paper gives an overview of onion production in PNG, focusing on irrigation practices and constraints in the Highlands region. It aims to stress irrigation’s importance in crop growth and explore PNG’s irrigation methods and soil moisture conservation practices. There is a need for a sustainable irrigation and soil water conservation system that is easy to use and incorporates crop water requirements. This system is vital for watering onions and conserving soil moisture, promoting their growth and yield. In this context, the use of mulch and irrigation systems can preserve and enhance soil moisture during prolonged dry phases.

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Effects of Mulching on Crop Growth, Productivity and Yield

Cited by 4 publications

References 58 publications

Water Use Efficiency in Young Citrus Trees on Metalized UV Reflective Mulch Compared to Bare Ground

Water Use Efficiency in Young Citrus Trees on Metalized UV Reflective Mulch Compared to Bare Ground

One-time conventional tillage, crop diversification and mulching enhanced hydro-physical properties of a tropical sandy loam soil

Water management and irrigation for bulb onion (Allium cepa L.) growth and development in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

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