Soil mulch in control of soil temperature and incidence of weeds in the production of crisphead lettuce

Deisy Lúcia Cardoso,Wolff Camargo Marques Filho,Giselle Feliciani Barbosa,José Antônio Maior Bono,Denise Renata Pedrinho,José Francisco Assis Rolim

doi:10.33448/rsd-v9i11.9729

Abstract

It was evaluated the effects of different types of mulching of soil in the cultivation of crisphead lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cultivar “Lucy Brown”, in the spring period, on weed control, soil temperature and productivity. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with four treatments and five replications in plots of 14.0m2. The following coverages were studied: Pennisetum glaucum L., Avena strigosa, Brachiaria ruziziensis, plus the control treatment (soil without mulching). The use of mulching of soil, P. glaucum and B. ruziziensis, proved to be a beneficial practice, reducing the soil temperature by up to 5ºC. There was a lower incidence of weeds with the use of the P. glaucum and A. strigosa coverages. The use of mulch did not provide a significant gain in productivity, however, there was a gain regarding the quality of the product, since the coverage with P. glaucum provided an increase in the size of the head (fresh mass of the commercial head).

Highlights

The lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a leafy vegetable of mild climate that belongs to the family Asteracea
At 91 days after seeding (DAS), evaluations were conducted on the fresh mass of the coverages, using a square frame of iron of 50cm/side placed in the center of each experimental plot, where it was cut the fresh mass in the area bounded by the square, weighed on precision scale, and, after drying in oven to 60 - 70°C until constant mass, it was measured the dry mass; and the values were extrapolated to kg.ha-1
The use of soil mulch is a beneficial practice for lettuce cultivation, improving the soil temperature and reducing the incidence of invasive plants

Summary

Introduction

The lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a leafy vegetable of mild climate that belongs to the family Asteracea. It is one of the most important vegetables grown in the world and in Brazil, certainly one of the most popular and consumed, being an important source of minerals, mainly calcium and vitamins (Filgueira, 2013). High temperatures affect the texture of the lettuce leaves, making them more fibrous, cause the burning of edges of the outer leaves, affecting the proper formation of head (Filgueira, 2013). High temperatures stimulate the tasseling, which is intensified to the extent that the same increases (Luz et al, 2009)

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