Influence of Mulching on Soil Hydrothermal Regime and Yield of Tomato in the Upper Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v28i2.3061Keywords:
Tomato, Polythene mulching, Soil temperature, Soil moisture, Base temperature of tomatoAbstract
The field experiments were conducted during 2019-20 and 2021-22 to study the effect of soil hydrothermal regimes under different mulching materials on growth and yield of the tomato. It was planted on four dates (25-October, 14-November, 3-December and 8-January) with the three mulch treatments, i.e., non-mulch (M0), rice straw (M1), and black polythene (M2). The results revealed that the crop planted on 14th November had highest yield under all mulch treatments. The yield under black polythene (392.6 q ha-1) increased by 47.8% than the non-mulch (265.7 q ha-1) treatment. Based on the findings from the first crop season, a mid-term correction was implemented in the 2021–22 field experiment by planting tomatoes at the optimum time (14 November) and applying four mulch treatments, including the three used in the previous year along with an additional transparent polythene mulch (M3). Across seasons, mulching significantly altered soil temperature and moisture regimes during the critical growth period, thereby influencing the growth and yield of the crop. The highest and statistically at par yields were recorded under M2 (370.6 q ha-1) and M3 (374.6 q ha-1), which decreased significantly under M1 (336.1 q ha-1) and M0 (249.3 q ha-1). Polythene mulches considerably increased the weekly mean night soil temperature (by up to 1.84°C in 2019–20 and 5.1°C in 2021–22), which alleviated the adverse effects of prolonged exposure to sub-optimal (<10°C) night temperatures and contributed to higher yields of tomato under black and transparent polythene mulches (M2 and M3).
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