2004). Likewise, the living mulches are useful to reduce the weeds by competing for the basic resources such as light, moisture, nutrients, and oxygen. Prod. So, in areas where the termites are the major pests, we should use the organic mulches which have low nutrient content in them (Martin and Poultney 1992). Properly composted mulch materials should be used always if un-composted materials would be used they will be the reason of pathogen transmission (Fraedrich and Ham 1982; Koski and Jacobi 2004; Niggli et al. High soil moisture loss. J. Agri-Food. Now we dont know what to put down in our flower beds. Indian. Scand. 2019; Ahmad et al. Sampathkumar T, Krishnasamy S, Ramesh S, Prabukumar G, Gobi R (2006) Growth, nutrient uptake and seed cotton yield of summer cotton as influenced by drip, surface irrigation methods and mulching practices. Once the growing season gets underway, youll find that any weeds that do manage to make it through will be much easier toremove. J. Rev 3:158163, Appleton BL, Derr JF, Ross BB (1990) The effect of various landscape weed control measures on soil moisture and temperature, and tree root growth. Cite this article. 40:3538, Robert JL, Baumhardt RL, Hicks SK, Heilman JL (2000) Soil and plant water evaporation from strip-tilled cotton: measurement and simulation. Resto 23:212213, Calkins JB, Swanson BT, Newman DL (1996) Weed control strategies for field grown herbaceous perennials. 2019). You have posted a much important information on mulch and looking more of your blog!! Reduces weed growth by keeping light from reaching the soilsurface. Yes, there are benefits, but only when used in the right situation. Research study was conducted to find out the rapid flammability of mulches (Steward et al. Plant. The treatment of (i) 4tons ha1 showed minimum number of weed and very low weed biomass as compared to rest of the treatments used in the experiment. 234:233237, Pair JC (1994) Adaptability of evergreen rhododendrons to the great plains as influenced by landscape exposure. Soil. Wood mulches do not generally combust fast. Organic mulches which are available commercially are sterile in nature. 75Years of rubber research in Sri Lanka, September 1984, Colombo. 1990). Roots also have the ability to extend in search of water where it is easily available in the plant root zone (Watson 1988; Watson and Kupkowski 1991). 2:246257, Balvinder S, Gupta GN, Prasad KG (1988) Use of mulches in establishment and growth of tree species on dry lands. Excellent erosion control. J. Bot. Some of the advantages of the prototype stubble cutter include simple production technology for small industrial enterprises, easy production and short maintenance . Moreover, integrating the mulching system (wheat straw, cotton sticks, black plastic, maize straw) with partial root zone drying (PRD) could serve an efficient technique to enhance overall crop growth, development, and yield. age improves. Pak. Also, some crops are more suitable for mulch-tilling than others. J. App. J. Environ. Just by mulching, you increase soil moisture, reduce weeds, improve crop quality, and feed the soil. However, in field conditions, woody materials have no or very low acidifying effect because of the localized production of acids. Growing grass is the best example of living mulch on the slopes which reduces the soil erosion by aggregating the soil particles by binding in a complex unit (Tanavud et al. Food. 9:6794, Green TL, Watson GW (1989) Effects of turf grass and mulch on establishment and growth of bare root sugar maples. 1996; McDonald et al. Residue In this case, oxygen and water are unable to reach the roots. 283-290.Proc. 1995). However, increased reliance may be placed on herbicides with some conservation tillage systems. New.Forests. Keep mulch 6 to 12 inches away from thebase of woody plants. Borst HL, Woodburn R (1942) The effect of mulching and methods of cultivation on runoff and erosion from Muskingham silt loam. Possible RTK guidance costs. Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of Plastics in Agriculture, 54-56. Sci. 90 0 obj <>stream Bryan (ed.) Bulletin of the National Research Centre 43:16. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Wheat straw plots showed 59.25% more efficiency of weed control than the rest of the treatments used in the experiment at maturity. 16:144, Salim R, El-Halawa RA (2002) Efficiency of dry plant leaves (mulch) for removal of lead, cadmium and copper from aqueous solutions. Vasilakoglou et al. Mulch material which is used in a thin layer will sufficiently enhance the germination of weed seeds; otherwise, if it will be used in the thick layer, it will reduce the seed germination (Rokich et al. Besides synthetic mulches, some of the other types of mulches have also been observed as inefficient in soil temperature regulation. Nasrullah M, Khan MB, Ahmad R, Ahmad S, Hanif M, Nazeer W (2011) Sustainable cotton production and water economy through different planting methods and mulching techniques. The finer the material, the thinner the layerneeded. New growth may not harden off and can be damaged by winter cold. the best grass growing that I've ever seen and the garlic has begun to sprout up too. 26:611, Virk J, Singh SD, Tripathi HP (2002) Growth and yield of cotton as influenced by herbicides alone or in combination with interculture. Good stubble cover. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. In 2002, plastic mulch was spread on an area of 15 million hectares in China (Xing et al. 1998; Woods et al. 2001). (2006) investigated the effect of mulch (straw mulching and no mulching) with drip and conventional irrigation methods (drip, skip furrow, alternate furrow, full furrow, border strip, and check basin) on growth of cotton. J. The competition for the aforementioned resources could be of inter and intra specific. Turf mulch which is mostly used as competitive cover crop also showed reduced growth rates (Samarappuli and Yogaratnam 1984) as compared to bare (un-mulched) conditions of soil (Downer and Hodel 2001; Kraus 1998). Therefore, the impacts of low-cost, eco-friendly, and biodegradable mulching materials on soil microbes, nutrient balance, plant growth, and soil erosion should be explored in the future. Conservation tillage has advantages and disadvantages that include the following: Advantages: 1. Most of the studies have dissimilar results by using mulch and describe that there are no harmful effects of mulches for soil acidification. Disadvantages of Mulching. Nasrullah et al. Niggli et al. The contradictory results were also obtained in a research study conducted on rice crop (Lillaram and Rao 1980). Brooklyn Botanical Garden Records. 30:154162, Ahmad S, Raza MAS, Saleem MF, Zahra SS, Khan IH, Ali M, Shahid AM, Iqbal R, Zaheer MS (2015) Mulching strategies for weeds control and water conservation in cotton. J. J. Environ. 26:12071210. J. Arboric. Higher rates of mulch material improved the water holding capacity, infiltration rate, and moisture content of soil. Conventional Tillage: This involves using plows, discs, and harrows to break up the soil and prepare a seedbed. Water, Paul Jasa 402-472-6715. Soil & Water Management Privacy J. In 1941, deep mulches were also used for trees and shrub plantation (Pirone 1941) because these deep-type mulches give protection to drought stress such as frost injury and freezing damage of crop plants in harsh environmental conditions. Competition refers to the struggle of the main crop for the same resources such as water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nutrients, and physical space with the competing organism. Both organic and inorganic mulches can be used effectively in thegarden. 48:18, Szwedo J, Maszczyk M (2000) Effects of straw-mulching of tree rows on some soil characteristics, mineral nutrient uptake and cropping of sour cherry trees. Various types of mulches have different effects on soil temperature. Other advantages include reduced fuel and labor requirements. 2020); however, when the organic mulches decompose, they quickly come out the soil surface. 2. There is also a contradiction in the use of organic mulches. Ser. Protect branches and buds of evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubs such asrhododendrons and viburnumsby wrapping them with burlap or protecting them with a tree guard filled with shredded leavesforinsulation. Breaks down and feeds the soil (if organicmulch). J. Hortic. Once the plants get some size on them, the fabric is covered and does not look so bad! Allelochemicals control the weeds in crop plants. 2019). In situ mulch, formed from the residue of a dead or chemically killed cover crop left in place (Wilson 1978a, b), is generally becoming an integral component of mulch tillage techniques. 4. Then we cover the hoses with a fabric to speed up the change in soil temperatures and warmthe soil for earlierplanting. Crop residue is the vegetative material, often referred to as trash or litter, left after a crop has been harvested. RI contributed to the conceptualization and analysis and wrote the paper. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Tree PlantersNotes. Tree Planters Notes. J. Res. 2019). Soil is protected at all times either by growing a crop or by leaving the crop residues on the surface during fallow periods (Fig. Res. 2001). Various research studies showed that use of woody mulch neither caused the nitrogen deficiency in soil nor the chlorosis in crop plants (Greenly and Rakow 1995; Pickering and Shepherd 2000). Some fragrant ground covers and fresh mulch give pleasurable fragrance to the people. Substitution of the plastic and fabric mulches is not only a time-consuming process but also an expensive method of mulching the soil surface. Timeliness considerations. Srinivasalu and Rao (2000), Virk et al. Increased survival of transplanted seedling was observed under field and nursery conditions (Martin and Poultney 1992; Maynard 1998; Naklang et al. Acta.Hortic. Tree Planters Notes 28:69, Moursy FS, Fatma A, Mostafa N, Solieman Y (2015) Polyethylene and rice straw as soil mulching: reflection of soil mulch type on soil temperature, soil borne diseases, plant growth and yield of tomato. Advantages Soil erosion and water runoff are reduced. In nature, mulch is simply fallen leaves and plant debris. Arid Land. Ahmad S, Raza MAS, Saleem MF, Zaheer MS, Iqbal R, Haider I, Aslam MU, Ali M, Khan IH (2020) Significance of partial root zone drying and mulches for water saving and weed suppression in wheat. Need corn front to harvest. Reduced tillage This includes any type of tillage practice that leaves 15% to 30% of the soil surface covered with stubble. Findings of the research study indicated that wheat straw used as mulch improved the physical and chemical properties of soil. Water, Paul Jasa The mulching could affectively solve the salinity problem by enhancing water retention in soil and reducing evapotranspiration. Well suited for poorly drained soils. Some earlier studies showed a number of damaging effects caused by mulches (Bedford and Pickering 1919). Sci. If there are lots of weeds on the ground where you want to grow, consider a permeable landscape fabric on many of thebeds. Spaulding P, Hansbrough JR (1943) The needle blight of Eastern white pine.USDA Bureau of Plant Industry, 2pp. In Maitrise des adventices par voie non chimique. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka: Agalawatta, Sri Lanka. However, some other materials were also used as mulch such as trimmings of trees and shrubs, wastes of animals, stubbles, and residues of crop plants. Sci. Losses in seed cotton yield increased with increased duration of weed cotton competition and maximum loss (96.5%) occurred with full-season competition followed by 100, 80, 60, 40, and 20 DAS. Ridge Plant P*1c;u ! 8:8589, Froment MA, Britt CP, Doney J (2000) Farm woodland weed control: mulches as an alternative to herbicides around newly planted oak Quercusrobur transplants. Some researchers found that organic mulches attract pests, and some scientists found that organic mulches are used as repellent of pests (Anderson 2002). Done correctly, mulching feeds our soils living microorganisms with nutrients and the waste from these tiny microbes creates healthier soil structure for plants, limitingcompaction. 86:987994, Rokich DP, Dixon KW, Sivasithamparam K, Meney KA (2002) Smoke, mulch, and seed broadcasting effects on woodland restoration in Western Australia. Sci. Acta.Hortic. Knowing the soil as well as using vertical tillage in high residue environments leaving over 30 percent residue on the surface are management factors that will enhance the outcomes. Allelopathy caused the inhibition of seed germination by using an allelopathic compound in the laboratory research experiment (Duryea et al. Soil. 1998). Sci 2:2023, Shogren RL (2001) Biodegradable mulches from renewable resources.J. The organic mulches have attained greater value than the inorganic mulches in agricultural lands, as the organic mulches could increase the percolation and water retention of soil. ASAE 42:791797, Dahiya R, Ingwersen J, Streck T (2007) The effect of mulching and tillage on the water and temperature regimes of a loess soil: experimental findings and modeling. 1992; Litzow and Pellett 1993; Montague and Kjelgren 2004; Walsh et al. J. Sci. (Photos above from Drew Lyon, PHREC, Scottsbluff), Tillage Systems Slowly increases soil fertility (if organic) and may make micronutrients already in the soil moreavailable. With uniform performance across the total working area, down to a depth of 15cm in one pass, the STX V range features vibrating tines which reduces the power requirement as well as reducing . 1995 Congress Spanish Weed Sci. 1988). Many abiotic factors are responsible for the loss of moisture from the soil and converting it into barren land. Ind. They mimic nature, breaking down gradually over time. 2005). Stubble breaks down easily. Google Scholar. Res. Hortic. Res. 14954), Houle G, Babeux P (1994) Fertilizing and mulching influence on the performance of four native woody species suitable for re-vegetation in subarctic Quebec. The turf mulch (living mulch) liberates more water vapors through the evapotranspiration process and decrease the soil surface temperature due to its evaporative cooling effect (Montague and Kjelgren 2004) despite the fact that turf mulch uses more water of soil in relation to the non-living mulch materials. )Becc.,Washingtonia robusta H. Wendl. Tech 17:805810, Buban T, Helmeczi B, Papp J, Dorgo E, Jakab L, Kajati I, Merwin I, Polesny F, Muller W (1996) Olszak RW. J. Ame. Ridge Plant Mulching could potentially serve the purpose by reducing soil evaporation, conserving moisture, controlling soil temperature, reducing weed growth, and improving microbial activities. Current. Asp. Soil & Water Management 1. Tillage Systems For the optimization of overall plant performance, stones and gravels are not considered as better materials as the organic ones (Samra and Singh 1998; Seckler and Tejwani 1983; Singh and Saggar 1997). Forest. In 1948, sawdust was used as a mulch material in gardens and it was noticed that sawdust caused root rot disease in many plant species (Matthews 1948). 2019; Ahmad et al. Results indicated that among the mulches, various growth and yield attributes like plant height, leaf area index, crop growth rate, number of bolls per plant, and 100 boll weights were higher in plastic and minimum in straw mulch followed by cultural mulch and chemical mulch. Agric. 44:6368. Keeping mulch away from the trunk discourageswood-boring insects, gnawing rodents, anddecay. Raman et al. 8:147153, Tan D, Fan Y, Liu J, Zhao J, Ma Y, Li Q (2019) Winter wheat grain yield and quality response to straw mulching and planting pattern. Ento. (2003), and Latha (2005) also stated 85% yield losses in cotton due to weeds. Sci. Moreover, in the restoration sites, mulches are widely used for the plantation of trees which need no significant care. 4:391394, Maynard AA (1998) Utilization of MSW compost in nursery stock production. 2003). Well adapted for well-drained soils. Inorganic mulch is often more shallow. Amongst different mulch materials, organic and inorganic are widely used in better reduction of weed control when these are used at adequate depth (Greenly and Rakow 1995) and these are not vulnerable to the compaction of soil (Einert et al. New Zealand Gardener. Turf which is mostly used as a competitor cover crop increased the mortality rate of transplants (Downer and Hodel 2001). Landscape fabrics and black plastic mulch can reduce various pests (Duncan et al. You wont be harvesting until summer. 57:1922, Iles JK, Dosmann MS (1999) Effect of organic and mineral mulches on soil properties and growth of Fairview Flame R red maple trees. 1996; Foshee et al. Regularly mulchwith organic matter. Mulches can act as barriers against irrigation water or beating action of rain drops which carry spores of different diseases. Findings of the research study showed that the germination and growth of weeds were very less under cereal mulch, herbicides, and inter-row cultivation as compared to control treatment. Plants get resistance to weed attack and other harmful pests, and in this way, there will be no use of any type of fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides. The nitrogen is utilized by the micro-organisms leaving behind the carbon in soil which will cause the deficiency of nitrogen in soil, and this would be indicated by the chlorosis in plants (Chalker-Scott 2007). 65:3. Organic mulches have various capabilities of controlling weed colonization. 2019). Food. Removing surface compaction and rutting. Landscape mulches were also seen in 1957 but there was no scientific research work carried out on them (Anonymous 1957). We comply with the Federal Trade Commission 1998 Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Two methods for sowing crops in stubble mulch tillage are, 1. h[mo8+NqAJ;.lw"iJ;m:!9>zt&hC 7hK$WPFB# F+F%%. 6. I went out today to check on it since it's been so warm. 2019). The temperature extremes affect the newly growing roots of plants adversely reducing the uptake of nutrients and water (Goulet 1995). Biological Life Rogers Memorial Farm Yields Structure Pathogens or micro-organisms are always present in healthy soils. Environ. J. Eco. (NT) farming systems have demonstrated advantages in economic, environmental and soil quality aspects over conventional tillage (CT). No-till Management Keeps soil from splashing onto leaves; keeping soil off leaves reduces plant diseases. 2002). 4:132, Jordan A, Zawala LM, Gill J (2010) Effects of mulching on soil physical properties and runoff under semi-arid conditions in southern Spain. Mulch tillage Mulch tillage is a system in which crop residues are left on the surface, and subsurface tillage leaves them relatively undisturbed. The herbicide labels do not change the recommended rates based on tillage system, but tillage may not be an option for weed control in some tillage systems. Mulches combat with different stress conditions in agricultural lands as well as in landscapes. 25:143149, Dvorak P, Hamouz K, Kuchtova P, Tomasek J (2009) Study on the effect of mulching on potato production in organic farming. 119:209215. Significant increase in seed cotton yield was observed in plots that were kept weed free during first 80 DAS. Gardiner ES, Yeiser JL (1998) Converting stands of low-grade hardwoods to loblolly pine: stimulating growth and reducing costs through litter retention. Eco. Counter this effect by adding a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, such as soybean meal, alfalfa, or cottonseed meal, to the mulch. Yang YM, Liu XJ, Li WQ, Li CZ (2006) Effect of different mulch materials on winter wheat production in desalinized soil in Heilonggang region of North China. Soil Preparation: How Do You Prepare Garden Soil for Planting? Extension Engineer Narrow leaves plants like grasses are not affected as severe as the broad leaves plants or dicot species (Schumann et al. Sci. 2:173193, Lightfoot DR (1994) Morphology and ecology of lithic-mulch agriculture. On an average, 700,000 tons of plastic sheet are being used annually as mulch worldwide (Espi et al. This residue management tool is considered mulch tillage by the Natural . Volume 1, Part 2. 78:149161, Ringe JM, Graves DH (1990) Mulches derived from wood: an economic comparison of two materials used to reclaim surface mines. Pro.Safe. Super blog and I have just heard about mulch or mulching but after reading your blog really understood about mulch. Sci. Protects plants from the harsh conditions of winter freezes, thaws, andwinds. Ayyadurai (2011) conducted field experiment to find out the critical period of weed crop competition in cotton. The advantages and disadvantages of the method are listed below: Advantages. JN Am. (2019) analyzed that mulches conserve the soil moisture and maintain the soil temperature. Phyto. Must be annual row crops. Biol. Protects bare soil, reducing erosion and soilcompaction. Dong BB, Zhu HT, Zhong ZK, Ye GF (1996) Study on ecological effect of the forest land under-crop sowing and mulching of coastland soil by newly planted. Agric. 37:27752779. In addition, conservation tillage methods have been shown to improve soil health, reduce runoff, and limit the extent of erosion. Agro.Forest.Forum. Marilyn L. Thelen, Michigan State University Extension - Res. Both the Salford RTS and Turbo Disc 330 were used in sites with stand increases, while only the Turbo Disc site reported a yield increase. J. Com. This is because you cannot plant in an area where there are plant residues from the previous year's crop. Martin PJ, Poultney R (1992) Survival and growth of clove seedlings in Zanzibar. Box 520 | Dublin, NH 03444. The application of plastic mulching in agriculture is getting popular throughout the world, and its usage is increasing day by day. Schahbazian N, Iran-Nejad H (2006) The effects of different mulch types and irrigation intervals on cotton yield. Michigan MSU Extension educators documented a 3.8 bushel per acres increase in soybean yield in just one of 5 sites in 2010, however, a significant increase in stand was seen in two of the five sites. Soil. 2000) soil. Weed control relies heavily . 2015; Kader et al. 29:267268, Devasinghe DA, Premaratne UD, Sangakkara UR (2015) Impact of rice straw mulch on growth, yield components and yield of direct seeded lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.). Sus. Just FYI, cardboard is full of fire-retardant chemicals. 12:170172, Seckler DW, Tejwani KG (1983) Effect of sand and gravel mulching on moisture conservation for tree saplings. 43 0 obj <> endobj 1988; Downer and Hodel 2001; Green and Watson 1989; Samra and Singh 1998; Singh and Saggar 1997), increased number or size of plant leaves (Davis 1994; Downer and Hodel 2001; Martin and Poultney 1992; Pfammatter and Dessimoz 1997), and maximum production of flowers, fruits, and seeds (Pfammatter and Dessimoz 1997; Tilander and Bonzi 1997). BONUS: Youll also receive our freeBeginner GardeningGuide! 11:345355, Singh SB, Pramod K, Prasad KG, Kumar P (1991) Response of Eucalyptus to organic manure mulch and fertilizer sources of nitrogen and phosphorus. Soil. It is considered that some of the mulches are carrier agents of many weed seeds. 100:229249, Montano JM, Fisher JT, Cotter DJ (1977) Sawdust for growing containerized forest tree seedlings. A research study was conducted on plastic mulch with fertilizer as an addition, and outcomes showed an increased death rate of transplanted plants (Houle and Babeux 1994). When we want to replace these mulches, they can even damage our crop of interest (Appleton et al. Advantages of mulching in comparison to non-mulching. Various studies exhibited that the effect of salts toxicity was reduced with mulching (Ansari et al. 2019). Agric. The contradictions about the performance of mulching exist as adverse effects of mulching have been reported by different scientists. Google Scholar, Arthur MA, Wang Y (1999) Soil nutrients and microbial biomass following weed-control treatments in a Christmas tree plantation. Any advise on what to do? Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Agric. J. It sends out small fungus spores that attaches to everything within 20 feet including the siding on our house. Stubble-mulching refers to leaving the stubble or crop residue essentially in place on the land as a surface cover during a fallow period. 17:174180, Winkel VK, Medrano JC, Stanley C, Walo MD (1995) Effects of gravel mulch on emergence of galleta grass seedlings. Weve gathered all of our best beginner gardening guides into a step-by-step series designed tohelp you learn how to garden! 30:832836, MacLean RH, Litsinger JA, Moody K, Watson AK, Libetario EM (2003) Impact of Gliricidiasepium and Cassia spectabilis hedgerows on weeds and insect pests of upland rice. See our GarlicGuide:https://almanac.com/plant/garlic. J. Agric. Sci. I now have More water conservation was achieved when the same quantity of mulch material was used as mulch compared with that incorporated into the soil (Singh et al. Blade plowing is typically a summer fallow operation after small grain harvest. LAU-X-126: 436-438. Utilization of black plastic mulch is mostly due to its low prices in relation to other mulches (Ngouajio and McGiffen 2004). 529-543. Mulching with different materials can potentially conserve soil moisture, reduce evaporation losses, and suppress weed population. . Int. These mulches are categorized as rapid decomposers such as compost, leaves, and grass clippings (Green and Watson 1989; Pfammatter and Dessimoz 1997; Samarappuli and Yogaratnam 1984; Singh and Saggar 1997; Tilander and Bonzi 1997); moderate decomposers as paper, straw and hay (Davis 1994; Litzow and Pellett 1993), crop residues (Martin and Poultney 1992); and slow decomposers, e.g., stem bark and woody chips (Downer and Hodel 2001; Green and Watson 1989; Ringe and Graves 1990). USFS Research Paper LS-6, St. Paul, MN, 23pp. In this experiment, it was found out that mulched material maintained the soil temperature at an optimum level of growth and conserved more moisture content as compared to un-mulched treatment. J. Arboric. Mulches are an important part of integrated pest management (IPM). 1: 912. Uni. (2004) conducted a field experiment to observe the effects of various mulches on cotton growth-, yield-, and weed-related parameters. Tip blight pathogen of Austrian pine did not affect any other crop plants. ZongBin et al. Some parts of this site work best with JavaScript enabled. Amer. J. Environ. Hort. Good mulch has characteristics of deepness which inhibit the weeds and promote the healthy plants and soil. 12:p38, Kuhns LJ (1992) Efficacy and phytotoxicity of three landscape herbicides with and without a light mulch. J. Arboric. Film. Preparing a seedbed. In this way, mulched plants get more biomass and more heighted (Burgess et al. Some weeds are so hardy that they can grow above the mulch surface, and sometimes, they penetrate through the plastic mulches also (Horowitz and Thomas 1994). (2013) carried out a research study in field condition to check the effects of various treatments of weed control, i.e., wheat straw mulching, manual hoeing, acetochlor and pendimethalin + prometryne on weed population, its biomass production, and productivity of cotton. 2; however, the phenomenon of weeds reduction is not fully understood till now. Res. Heavy metals are injurious for both the animals and human health. Mulching has also some other positive environmental effects such as temperature regulation of soil and plant roots, minimum nutrient losses, cut down soil erosion and compactness, and improved physical conditions of soil (Ngouajio and McGiffen 2004; Lamont 2005). Mulches could potentially minimize water runoff, improve infiltration capacity of soil, restrain weed population via shading, and perform as obstacle in evapotranspiration (Rathore et al. It was concluded that less weed densities in plastic mulch were due to higher weed control efficiency of the plastic sheet. Trees roots do not need mulch because the tree roots are mature; the mulch blocks the rain the roots need; I see this alot around towns in Conn.; harms the trees; Like many of your readers, I struggled using mulch in my vegetable gardens, I would rather have weeds than watch some new pest move in and devour my plants. 56:2327, Vasilakoglou K, Dhima I, Eleftherohorinos LA (2006) Winter cereal cover crop mulches and inter-row cultivation effects on cotton development and grass weed suppression. The organic and living mulches possess numerous beneficial impacts on soil quality in terms of enhancing nutrients levels. 2000). 1988; Buban et al. Stubble mulching is a system of farming primarily developed in the arid and semiarid areas. However, the average yield increase across all 40 sites was 2 bushels per acre. Water hyacinth as a potential organic substrate can stimulate the growth of diversity of microbial population in agricultural soils. J. Environ. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. Sometimes, slow-decomposing mulch materials like bark mulch can make nutritional problem for fast-growing tree species due to low production of plant root biomass (Davis 1994). . Stat. Some other scientists carried out the mulch experiments, and their outcomes were also in line with the early study of mulched trees performed better than the control treatment (Balvinder et al.
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