Organic Mulch Effects on High Tunnel Lettuce in Southern New England

Gheshm, Rahmatallah; Brown, Rebecca

doi:10.21273/horttech04056-18

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In effect, leaf mulch stabilized soil temperatures rather than altering the mean temperature. These results agree with our results of spring high tunnel romaine production (Gheshm and Brown, 2018). Other researchers have reported that organic mulch can stabilize the root zone temperatures in summer extremes and slow cooling in the fall, but note that the effect of mulching on soil temperature entirely depends on the type of mulch (Kosterna, 2014).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…needles, and bark mulch reduces soil temperatures, particularly in the spring (Munn, 1992;Schonbeck and Evanylo, 1998a;Sinkevi cien_ e et al, 2009;Skroch et al, 1992). Gheshm and Brown (2018) reported that a 1-inch-thick layer of multisource compost applied to soil in a high tunnel in Rhode Island increased soil temperatures relative to bare soil during fall lettuce production but had no effect on average soil temperature during the spring. Schonbeck and Evanylo (1998a) reported that soil temperatures in plots mulched with dark-colored hardwood leaf compost were an average of 1.4°C cooler than soil temperatures in bare ground plots.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Compost and Black Polyethylene Mulches Improve Spring Production of Romaine Lettuce in Southern New England

Gheshm

Brown

2020

hortte

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Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is the most popular leafy vegetable in the United States. Organic and synthetic mulch materials are applied by farmers to reduce their weeding expenditures, manage soil temperatures, and increase the yield and quality of their crops. This study examined the impacts of using black polyethylene, compost, and shredded leaves as surface mulches in spring open field romaine lettuce by using data regarding the soil temperature, lettuce growth, and yield parameters. Mulch treatments were compared to determine effects on soil temperature, lettuce growth rates, leaf area index (LAI), yield, and plant size. Experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2019. Soil temperatures were slightly (but significantly) warmer in 2019, the plants grew more rapidly, and LAI, yield, and plant size were all significantly greater than they were in 2017. Mean soil temperatures were 18.0 and 18.9 °C in black polyethylene mulched plots, 17.7 and 18.5 °C in compost, 17.5 and 17.0 °C in bare ground, and 16.9 and 17.3 °C in shredded leaf plots in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Changes in canopy size presented a similar trend over the growing season for all treatments; shredded leaf and bare ground treatments on all measuring dates had the smallest canopy size, and compost and black polyethylene mulches had the largest canopy sizes. Black polyethylene and compost mulches had the highest LAI and yields in both years. In 2017, the bare ground treatment was similar to black polyethylene and compost mulch treatments for both parameters, and all three treatments were significantly greater than the shredded leaf mulch treatment. In 2019, the bare ground treatment was similar to the shredded leaf mulch treatment and significantly lower than the black polyethylene and compost mulch treatments. In 2017, black polyethylene and compost mulches had LAI of 7.67 and 7.37 and yields of 6.38 and 6.68 kg·m−2, respectively. Bare ground had an LAI of 7.16 and yielded 5.94 kg·m−2. Shredded leaf mulch plots had the lowest LAI (5.94) and yield (4.96 kg·m−2). In 2019, the bare ground treatment had an LAI of 7.5 and yielded 7.6 kg·m−2. Black polyethylene and compost mulches increased LAI by 1.7. Yield increased by 2.8 kg·m−2 with black polyethylene mulch and by 2.4 kg·m−2 with compost mulch. Shredded leaf mulch produced LAI and yield similar to but slightly lower than bare ground. Dry weight, plant height, and head diameter in bare ground and shredded leaf mulch treatments were significantly smaller than in black polyethylene and compost mulch treatments. The cultivar rank order was consistent across treatments in both years; ‘Ridgeline’ grew significantly faster than ‘Coastal Star’, and plants were significantly larger at harvest. Black polyethylene suppresses weeds and increases soil temperatures, thereby enhancing yields of spring-to-summer romaine lettuce under southern New England conditions. Compost mulch has similar effects on yields. Shredded leaf mulch is effective at suppressing weeds but decreases soil temperatures and yields.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

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confidence: 99%

Compost and Black Polyethylene Mulches Improve Spring Production of Romaine Lettuce in Southern New England

Gheshm

Brown

2020

hortte

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“…Similar results were found in carrot Mengistu and Yamoah (Petrikova and Pokluda, 2004) These results agree with (Firoz et al, 2009). Gheshm et al, (2018) stated that planting spaces may cause either too dense or too sparse population resulting in the reduction of lettuce yield Table 2.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 80%

INFLUENCE OF PLANTING SPACES ON GROWTH, YIELD AND BACTERIAL SOFT ROT INFECTION OF LETTUCE (Lactuca sativa L.)

Hamarash¹

2020

DASJ

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The experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth, yield, and bacterial soft rot infection of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in the organic system of the multispan house without chemical fertilization and without heating, planting was in different planting spaces. The research was directed from 14th November (sowing seeds in the nursery) 2018 to 14th of March 2019 (harvesting). The experiment was designed in randomized complete blocks (RCBD), with eight treatment planting spaces 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45cm planting spaces, the cultivars (TERESA) were used in the experiment, with four replication for each treatment. The obtained results were analyzed averages were compared by Duncan Multipliers and the least significant difference(LSD) at the possibility>0.05 level. The evaluated characteristics in this experiment were marketable fresh weight per plant, per square meter, plant height, number of leaves, plants infected with soft rot, roots length, outlet leaves, and number of heads. The highest fresh weight 511.3 gr plant, the highest number of leaves/plant 39.4l, root length 9.1 cm, leaf length 31.3 cm obtained with the wide spacing, but the highest yield 10671.4 gm/m2 and plant height were obtained with the smaller spacing 10.15 cm. Lettuce may present a yield decrease due to the occurrence of lettuce soft rot disease caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. This study was designed to determine the perfect sample size for evaluating disease occurrence in fields in the last spring months to collect and store heads. The soft rot infection percent was higher in low spacing 3% because the high densities of plants make contact with the plants and lowest or no infection in high spacing.

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“…Despite increased yields from straw mulch under hot and dry summer conditions [50], straw mulch has also been reported to reduce yields in some cases. This was attributed to below-optimal soil temperatures, low nitrate levels in the soil, and mulching too early [105]. Historically, high application rates (10 t ha −1 and more) have been associated with yield reductions in cooler climates.…”

Section: Nitrogen Dynamics Weeds Yield and Soil Erosion In Organic Po...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Potato Growth under Straw Mulching Practices

Waheed

Muhammad

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Extreme heat, droughts, pests, diseases, and short bursts of heavy rain make potato production unsustainable. This unfavorable environment negatively affects potato productivity and yield levels. Within the next few years, conditions will likely deteriorate even more. In potato cultivation, straw mulching has been shown to increase yields by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the soil. Mulching improves soil humidity, decreases transpiration, and cools the soil in dry and hot regions. There is a global decline in potato yields per hectare due to poor nutrient management, moderately humid years, and high disease pressure caused by Phytophthora infestans and Alternaria species. Farmers must take cultivation measures to achieve economic efficiency and adequate yields. A range of practices contributes to better potato yields and productivity, such as the use of appropriate fungicides, planting high-yielding varieties, and increasing row spacing. These practices complicate cultivation and affect profits. Furthermore, inorganic nitrogen in the soil regularly causes acidification, eroding soil fertility. As a result of land preparation, straw residues from rice and maize are collected from the field and destroyed or burned, which depletes nutrients and pollutes the air. Returning these residues to the soil, however, can improve its quality. Integrating rice and maize straw mulching into potato cultivation practices can enhance agricultural sustainability, productivity, and yield. This review will focus on using rice and maize straw mulching in cultivating potatoes. Straw mulching promotes sustainable potato growth, increasing productivity and quality while minimizing reliance on chemical inputs. Such practices can mitigate the need for synthetic fertilizers to enhance sustainable agriculture, ensure long-term growth, improve soil health, increase yields, and promote sustainable agriculture.

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Organic Mulch Effects on High Tunnel Lettuce in Southern New England

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Compost and Black Polyethylene Mulches Improve Spring Production of Romaine Lettuce in Southern New England

Compost and Black Polyethylene Mulches Improve Spring Production of Romaine Lettuce in Southern New England

INFLUENCE OF PLANTING SPACES ON GROWTH, YIELD AND BACTERIAL SOFT ROT INFECTION OF LETTUCE (Lactuca sativa L.)

Sustainable Potato Growth under Straw Mulching Practices

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