Effects of plastic covering methods on the growth and yield of potatoes in winter fallow rice fields in Hunan

Abstract

Favorita, a breed of potato was selected as a test material to compare its growth and yield under four different cultivation circumstances in winter fallow rice fields, they are plastic mulching, arch plastic mulching,plastic mulching plus arch plastic mulching( also called double films mulching) and non-mulching. The results showed that the daily average soil temperature with double films mulching was highest, higher than that of plastic mulching, arch plastic mulching and non-mulching 0.33, 1.93, 2.89 ℃, respectively. Therefore, potatoes cultivated with double films mulching was the first one in seedling sprout, which was earlier 4, 21, 31 d than those of cultivated with plastic mulching, arch plastic mulching and non-mulching, respectively. Although the plant height of potatoes cultivated with plastic mulching was higher than that of potatoes cultivated with non-mulching significantly,the stem diameter and main stem number were significantly less than that of potatoes cultivated in non-mulching.Double films mulching cultivation could improve total yield and market needed tuber yield, with 31.18 and 28.54ton per hectare respectively. And the next were cultivated in arch plastic mulching and plastic mulching cultivation in turn, which were significantly higher than that of potatoes cultivated with non-mulching. The profit of double films mulching cultivation was the highest with 12.22 thousand CNY per hectare.