Effect of Mulching on Plant Growth, Yield and Quality of French Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv. ArkaKomal

Abstract

An experiment on the “Effect of mulching on plant growth, yield and quality of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv. Arkakomal” was conducted during November 2021 to January 2022, in Central Horticulture Research Farm, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj (U.P) India. The results of the present investigation, regarding that cultivation of French bean with different mulching material found as the best option for higher productivity whereas the treatment with Saw dust mulch that is Treatment T6 showed the best results in terms of Days to seed germination (8.6 DAS), Plant height at 30DAS (14.8 cm), 60 DAS (2.6.6 cm), 90 DAS (32.0 cm), Number of branches plant-1 at 30 DAS (4.9), 60 DAS (9.0), 90DAS (10.3), Days to first flowering (35.7 DAS), Days to 50% Flowering (41.9 DAS), Days to first picking (55.5 DAS), Leaf Length (8.8 cm), Leaf breadth (6.6 cm), Number of pods plant-1 (21.1), Pod weight (13.5 g), Pod length (15.7 cm), Pod diameter (1.8 cm), Pod yield plant-1 (857 g), Pod yield ha-1 (5.7 t), Number of seeds pod-1 (8.2), TSS (6.2 OBrix). Hence the Treatment 6 (Saw dust mulch) was best suited for the farmers in terms of growth, yield, quality and net returns.