Abstract
ABSTRACT Polyethylene mulch can cause serious problems in the environment. A promising alternative to polyethylene mulch is biodegradable mulch. Therefore, a two-year experiment was carried out with zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) during the cropping seasons of 2017 and 2018 in Southeast Brazil to investigate the effects of four soil mulching treatments (white polyethylene mulch: WP, black polyethylene mulch: BP, biodegradable mulch of brown recycled paper: RP and nonmulched: NM) and two wetted soil percentages (50 and 70% of the soil surface) using a randomized block design with five repetitions. The average water consumption of the zucchini was 157 mm in the WP treatment, 155 mm in the BP treatment, 155 mm in the WP treatment and 215 mm in the NM treatment. The yield was higher in the WP (78.1 ton ha-1) and BP (69.1 ton ha-1) treatments than in the RP (66.6 ton ha-1) or NM (52.4 ton ha-1) treatments. The daily thermal amplitude was lowest in the RP treatment (3.6-6.0 °C) and highest in the BP treatment (7.3-9.0 °C). The lower wetted soil percentage (50%) reduced water consumption (by 5-7%) and improved water-use efficiency (by 11%). Weeds, including Cyperus roduntus, were more efficiently controlled in the RP treatment than in the WP and BP treatments. In general, compared to the nonmulched treatment, mulches were effective in reducing weed infestation (95%), increasing yield (36%) and improving water-use efficiency (94%). RP, as an alternative to polyethylene mulch, can save water and control weeds in zucchini crops. These results represent useful information that extends the mulching options for technicians and farmers.
Highlights
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) is an important horticultural crop globally
The zucchini water consumption was equal to 175 mm and 138 mm under the white polyethylene mulch (WP), 164 mm and 145 mm under the black polyethylene mulch (BP) and 165 mm and 145 mm under the biodegradable mulch for the 2017 and 2018 cycles, respectively
The biodegradable mulch was comparable to the polyethylene mulch in terms of water savings
Summary
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) is an important horticultural crop globally. In Brazil, 135,752 tons of zucchini fruit, equivalent to US $55.54 million, was produced in 2019 (Prohort, 2019). Plastic film mulching can control weeds (Coleman et al, 2015), conserve soil moisture and save water by reducing soil evaporation (Liu et al, 2013), modify soil temperature (Ribas et al, 2015), increase irrigation and fertilization efficiency (Biswas et al, 2015; Yang et al, 2015), reduce viruses in fruits (Brust, 2000; Olinik et al, 2011), accelerate leaf area growth (Fan et al, 2017; Qin et al, 2016) and increase yield (El-Samnoudi et al, 2019; Hou et al, 2019). Polyethylene, a plastic film traditionally used as mulch, is not properly removed from soil (Liu; He; Yan, 2014), not efficiently recycled and is often stockpiled onfarm, burned, or deposited in landfills (Ahokas et al, 2014). To be suitable, biodegradable mulches need to be efficient in conserving soil moisture and controlling weeds, mainly in tropical climates
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