Effect of planting methods and mulching on the thermal environment and biological productivity of groundnut

Abstract

To estimate the altered thermal environmental effect due to adoption of planting methods and different mulches, a field experiment was conducted on groundnut at the CR Farm, BCKV, W. B., India in the summer seasons of 2003, 2004 and 2005. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design, where the planting methods (flat and ridge) were the main plot treatments and the mulches (banana leaf with dry grass, water hyacinth, transparent polythene sheet, rice straw, jute stick and non-mulch control) were considered as the sub-plot treatments. The results showed that ridge planting method with use of water hyacinth or banana leaf with dry grass greatly altered the thermal environment by reducing air temperature, canopy temperature and SDDI in groundnut; both the dry matter production and yield of the crop were increased due to adoption of ridge planting and bio mulches due to conducive thermal environment. There existed a significant negative correlation between yield and air temperature, dry matter and air temperature, yield and canopy temperature, dry matter and canopy temperature yield and SDDI, dry matter and SDDI.