Abstract
A study was conducted to determine the growth and yield performances of brinjal using four different mulch materials viz. white poly mulch, silver poly mulch, paddy straw mulch and control (no mulch) in the Low country intermediate zone, Makandura, Sri Lanka. Twenty-four raised beds were prepared and treatments were arranged according to the Complete Randomized Design. Four weeks old brinjal seedlings were transplanted in the beds and fertilizer application and aftercare operations were carried out according to the recommendations of the Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka. Data were collected on soil moisture, soil temperature, number of plants attacked by shoot and pod borer, plant height at 15, 30, 45, 60 days after transplanting and yield. Data were analyzed by Minitab 15 software. The highest plant height was recorded in paddy straw mulch. The moisture content was significantly higher in poly mulches. The lowest pest occurrence was recorded in silver mulch whilst the highest total fruit yield was obtained from white mulch (505.6 kg). It can be concluded that, treatments were better than the control and white mulch was superior compared to other treatments. Therefore, the white poly mulch could be successfully used in Solanum melongena L. cultivation in low country intermediate zone, Sri Lanka.
Highlights
Solanum species belong to the family of Solanaceae and genus Solanum, with over 1,000 species worldwide (Agoreyo et al, 2012)
Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura situated in the Low Country Intermediate Zone (IL1a), at elevation of 300 m above mean sea level
Straw mulch recorded the highest plant height from 15 DAP to 60 DAP while the control showed the lowest height with the maturity of the plant
Summary
Solanum species (eggplants) belong to the family of Solanaceae and genus Solanum, with over 1,000 species worldwide (Agoreyo et al, 2012). Eggplant or Brinjal (Solanum melongina) is a well-known vegetable in local market as well as world market. It is originated in India (Simmon, 1979). Plastic mulches have been used on commercial vegetable cultivation since 1960s (Lamont, 1999) Crops such as tomato, peppers, cucumber, squash, eggplant, watermelon and okra have shown significant earliness increases in yield and fruit quality when grown with plastic mulch (Bachmann, 2005; Bergholtz, 2004; Lamont, 1999). This study was conducted to determine the growth and yield of Brinjal cultivated using different mulch materials in the Low Country Intermediate Zone, Makandura, Sri Lanka
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