EFFECT OF POLYETHYLENE BLACK PLASTIC MULCH ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF TWO SUMMER VEGETABLE CROPS UNDER RAIN-FED CONDITIONS UNDER SEMI-ARID REGION CONDITIONS

Abstract

Water use efficiency in agriculture can be enhanced by several strategies mainly by reducing evaporati on from the soil surface. The mulching techniques were bein g used widely in irrigated crop production worldwid e. The mulching techniques can be also implemented in summer vegetables production under rain-fed conditions. The current study aimed at evaluating the effect of pol yethylene black plastic mulch on growth and yield o f okra, Abelmoschus esculentus and summer squash, Cucurbita pepo L. under rain-fed conditions of Jordan. Two field experiments were conducted during summer growing season at Al-Rabbah Agricultural Research Station, Mu’tah University, Jordan. Soil cover treatments we re polyethylene black plastic mulch and no mulch (b are soil). The results indicated that the mulched plots had higher soil moisture content than bare soil pl ots, which has positively reflected on vegetative and yield pa rameters. Using polyethylene plastic mulch had pronounced positive effect on yield of okra and squash as comp ared to bare soil. Early, middle, late and total yi eld of both vegetable crops were significantly increased in plo ts covered with plastic mulch. In addition, fruit n umber and weight had also an increasing trend as fruit yield. Plots covered with black plastic mulch were produc ed higher fresh and dry weights of both vegetable crops. It b an be concluded that using black plastic mulch as a soil cover increased okra and squash vegetative growth a nd yield under rain-fed conditions.