Abstract
Abstract To address agricultural needs of the future, a better understanding of plastic mulch film effects on soil temperature and moisture is required. The effects of different plant type and mulch combinations were studied over a 3.5-month period to better grasp the consequence of mulch on root zone temperature (RZT) and moisture. Measurements of (RZT) and soil moisture for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), pepper (Capsicum annuum) and carrot (Daucus carota) grown using polyolefin mulch films (black and white-on-black) were conducted in Ontario using a plot without mulch as a control. Black mulch films used in combination with pepper and carrot plants caused similar RZTs relative to uncovered soil, but black mulch film in combination with tomato plants caused a reduction in RZT relative to soil without mulch that increased as plants grew and provided more shade. White-on-black mulch film used in combination with tomatoes, peppers or carrots led to a reduction in RZT relative to soil without mulch that became greater than the temperature of soil without mulch. This insulative capability was similarly observed for black mulch films used with tomato plants. Apart from white-on-black film used in combination with tomatoes, all mulch film and plant combinations demonstrated an ability to stabilize soil moisture relative to soil without mulch. RZT and soil moisture were generally stabilized with mulch film, but some differences were seen among different plant types.
Highlights
Plastic mulch film made from polyolefins has been extensively studied and its use is known to increase crop yields, extend growing seasons, decrease requirement for water and decrease weeds (Lamont et al 1993)
A comparison of root zone temperature (RZT) measured in all plots shows that all soil temperatures were generally warmer than the temperature of ambient air
3.2 Soil temperature: soil under mulch vs soil without mulch In Figure 1, RZT measured in soil underneath mulch films is shown as a function of RZT measured in the plot without mulch
Summary
Plastic mulch film made from polyolefins has been extensively studied and its use is known to increase crop yields, extend growing seasons, decrease requirement for water and decrease weeds (Lamont et al 1993). Many of the benefits of these films are associated with changes to root zone temperatures (RZTs), which have been suggested to be affected by soil moisture (Díaz-Pérez 2010). Despite many studies of how soil temperature is affected by the use of polyolefin mulches, results relating to the effect of film colour are inconsistent. Many articles find that using black polyolefin mulch film causes soil temperatures to increase when compared to bare soil, and using white-on-black polyolefin mulch causes the opposite effect (Díaz-Pérez et al 2005; Lamont 2005; Chakraborty et al 2008; DíazPérez 2009, 2010), there are a variety of studies that have results contradicting this information (for specific examples, refer to Snyder et al (2015)). Conflicting reports of the effect of mulch colour on soil temperature suggest that it is likely an oversimplification to assume black films warm and white films cool the soil they cover
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