Mulching Technology Research Articles

Comparison of tillage systems according to fuel consumption

Nowadays, tractor is still the basic power unit in almost all production processes in agriculture, including tillage. The structure of tractor–machinery systems depends on many parameters: seeding system, soil conditions, farm area etc. These relevant parameters are defined in this paper, as well as the energy inputs introduced in the tillage through the consumed fuel. Altogether, they simultaneously represent the input variables in the selection criteria of tractor–machinery systems. A method of selecting the optimal tractor for different tillage technologies is presented in this paper. The results obtained show that fuel energy consumption for all tractors in the conditions of conventional tillage is in range from 412 to 740 MJ/ha. In the case of mulch technology the energy consumption varied from 183 to 266 MJ/ha and in the case of zero tillage the energy consumption varied from 80 to 284 MJ/ha. These results show obvious differences in energy inputs regarding the applied production technology.

The Effect of Mulching Technology to Enhance the Diversity of Soil Macroinvertebrates in Sengon-based Agroforestry Systems

Soil macroinvertebrate are strongly influenced by environmental factors. The change of agronomic technology may affect their role in maintaining soil fertility and crop production. The aim of this study was to know the effect of technology of mulching to enhance diversity of soil macroinvertebrate in sengon-based agroforestry system. Field experiment was arranged in randomized block design with treatment i.e. with and without organic matter mulching. Sweet potato used as tested intercrop. Collection of soil macroinvertebrate was carried out using a hand sorting and pit-fall trap methods. Result of the study showed that application of maize residue as mulch enhanced diversity index of surface and deep soil macroinvertebrate, i.e: 0.215 and 0.214 (by 44% and 73% respectively compared no mulching). Organic mulching technology can support diversity of beneficial soil macroinvertebrates.Key words: agroforestry, soil macroinvertebrates, sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria), mulching.

Effects of rainfall harvesting and mulching technologies on water use efficiency and crop yield in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China

In semi-arid areas, crop growth is greatly limited by water. Amount of available water in soil can be increased by surface mulching and other soil management practices. Field experiments were conducted in 2005 and 2006 at Gaolan, Gansu, China, to determine the influence of ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting system (RFRHS), surface mulching and supplementary irrigation (SI) in various combinations on rainwater harvesting, amount of moisture in soil, water use efficiency (WUE), biomass yield of sweet sorghum ( Sorghum bicolour L.) and seed yield of maize ( Zea mays L.). In conventional fields without RFRHS, gravel-sand mulching produced higher biomass yield than plastic-mulching or straw-mulching. In plastic-mulched fields, an increasing amount of supplemental irrigation was needed to improve crop yield. There was no effect of RFRHS without plastic-covered ridge on rainwater harvesting when natural precipitation was less than 5 mm per event. This was due to little runoff of rainwater from frequent low precipitation showers, and most of the harvested rainwater gathered at the soil surface is lost to evaporation. In the RFRHS, crop yield and WUE were higher with plastic-covered ridges than bare ridges, and also higher with gravel-sand-mulched furrows than bare furrows in most cases, or straw-mulched furrows in some cases. This was most likely due to decreased evaporation with plastic or gravel-sand mulch. In the RFRHS with plastic-covered ridges and gravel-sand-mulched furrows, application of 30 mm supplemental irrigation produced the highest yield and WUE for sweet sorghum and maize in most cases. In conclusion, the findings suggested the integrated use of RFRHS, mulching and supplementary irrigation to improve rainwater availability for high sustainable crop yield. However, the high additional costs of supplemental irrigation and construction of RFRHS for rainwater harvesting need to be considered before using these practices on a commercial scale.

Feasibility of mulching technology as an alternative to slash-and-burn farming in eastern Amazon: A cost–benefit analysis

AbstractThis paper addresses the question as to whether it is profitable to apply a mechanical mulching technology (MT) in the Bragantina region of Brazil and assesses the technology's feasibility as an alternative to the slash-and-burn practices of the Amazon. Using empirical data collected from a prototype assessment and a few secondary sources, the paper employs a cost–benefit analysis of ‘with’ and ‘without’ technology cropping systems (plots that applied the technology are compared with those that did not) to assess the financial and economic feasibility of investing in the MT. The analysis showed that the technology is profitable, both financially and socially, mainly because it is able to produce yields that are high enough to offset the costs, including the hiring of the mulching equipment. However, it may not be a feasible alternative to slash-and-burn farming unless certain conditions are fulfilled by farmers. Most of these conditions relate to farmers' adherence to a set of rules for the successful application of the technology. These rules include the abandonment of a single cropping cycle, typical for the traditional slash-and-burn system, and the adoption of two cycles of crop cultivation. In addition, farmers have to choose profitable crop combinations, such as cassava and beans for both cycles. Since most of the trial farmers did not meet these conditions, the technology received a notably low acceptability (8%). Further analysis indicated that the main reason for this trend was the increase of total labor requirement (by 32%), though the technology reduced labor demand during land preparation to almost zero. Similarly, there was a 22% increase in requirement for inorganic fertilizers. Thus, compared with the slash-and-burn practices of the Amazon, the MT can be regarded as a more intensive method of farming which gives higher crop yields but demands higher quantities of inputs such as labor and inorganic fertilizers. The paper concludes by deriving policy implications for the feasibility of the MT as an alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture in the Amazon. Among these is the importance of creating incentives to extend the cropping period from one to two consecutive cycles. Moreover, the necessity to conduct further studies after the technology has been adopted by the farmers is underscored.

Grazing, mulching, and removal of wheat straw in a no-till system in a semi-arid environment

Straw mulching and no-till technologies have improved grain yields in the 250-mm-rainfall wheatbelt of the northern Negev region of Israel. However, mulching the soil with straw is incompatible with the traditional practice of baling the straw for animal fodder and/or using the stubble for sheep grazing. We compared 3 wheat straw management strategies in a no-till production system, for 4 consecutive growing seasons. The treatments were straw mulching (SM), manual removal of the straw (MR), and grazing by sheep of the straw and stubble (G). The amount of straw cover for treatment SM declined over the years, and did not reach the minimum threshold value deemed necessary to improve wheat grain yield in the region. Grain yield (1150 kg/ha) and quality (volumetric mass, 75 kg/100 L; crude protein, 127 g/kg) did not differ significantly among the 3 treatments. The density of the total seedbank was 3623, 1675, and 1499/m2 in the G, MR, and SM treatments, respectively. This difference was due to a greater amount of small grasses (e.g. Rostraria smyrnacea). However, treatment G hosted significantly less mole and vole activity than treatments SM and MR (1.1 v. 13.6 and 12.4 dens/ha, respectively). Our data suggest that, relative to straw and stubble grazing, straw mulching offers no advantage that can be quantified in terms of wheat yield, under the conditions of this study.

A concept for the development of fire-free fallow management in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil

Abstract Research-based improvements in small-farmer land-use systems are difficult to bring about. Often such improvements developed under research station conditions fail to address the true system problems or farmer concerns. In the search for ways to improve the traditional fallow system of the Eastern Amazon, field experiments were conducted in farmers’ fields, but under researcher management with farmers helping to identify the critical needs for improvement. To achieve the objective a phased plan was followed: (1) exploratory research, (2) solution-oriented research with technology development and prototype evaluation, and (3) implementation-oriented research. The initial exploratory or diagnostic studies focused on (1) biomass accumulation, (2) nutrient dynamics and (3) fallow regeneration. It was found that (1) the live and dead above-ground biomass of 1–10-year-old fallow vegetation amounts to 10–98 Mg ha−1, (2) in the nutrient balance of a crop/fallow cycle including slash burning and fertilization nutrient losses exceed inputs for N, K, Ca and Mg, but not for P, and (3) vegetative resprouting of trees/shrubs exceeds in importance their regeneration by seeds and mechanized land preparation halves the accumulation of woody biomass of a 2-year-old fallow vegetation, compared to no tillage. Instead of designing an entirely new land-use system, modifications were studied only to those practices and components recognized to be harmful to the sustainability of the traditional system itself. Also, additional components to further improve the system were tested. Thus, various technologies were developed as a set of modules. These include: (1) mulch technology, (2) fire-free land clearing with a newly developed tractor-driven bush chopper to transform fallow vegetation into mulch, (3) enrichment planting with Acacia auriculiformis to accumulate twice as much biomass within 2 years as not managed fallows, (4) modification of the cropping period by doubling it, by shifting the planting date, and by re-arranging the crop sequence, and (5) the test of modern low-input crop varieties: rice and cassava cultivars were identified for the mulch-based system which yield higher than locally widespread ones. Adoption of these modules is flexible, leaving the farmer in control of the innovation process. This last phase of implementation-oriented research, currently underway, is participatory and multidisciplinary in nature and seeks to develop and assess implementation strategies aimed at the diffusion of the farming system improvements.

Mechanized land preparation in forest-based fallow systems: The experience from Eastern Amazonia

The slash-and-burn practice of land preparation that farmers use traditionally in forest-based fallow systems in the humid tropics causes land degradation and human health hazards. As an alternative to slash-and-burn, a mechanized, fire-free method of land preparation was evaluated on smallholdings in the eastern Amazon region. The use of machinery for harvesting fallow vegetation and chopping it for mulch eliminates the need for hard labor and fire for land clearing and increases labor productivity. Four different tractor-propelled choppers with power demand of 50 kW to 122 kW were tested. Their chopping capacity varied between 4.5 Mg and 20 Mg of fresh biomass per hour. The mechanized chop-and-mulch technology can be used in fallow vegetation that is up to 12 years old, which in the study region corresponded to 20 Mg to 150 Mg fresh biomass per hectare. Two additional choppers – a stationary silage chopper and a high-powered crawler tractor with a chopping device – were also tested but both were not suitable for smallholder fallow systems. In the context of the mulch technology, new low-input crop varieties were screened and their response to fertilizer was studied. The mulch technology facilitates extended cropping, to plant crops off-season, and modify crop rotation. Degraded fallow vegetation can be improved by enrichment planting using fast-growing leguminous tree species. Financial analysis of different scenarios revealed that farm income and labor productivity from chop-and-mulch systems can be up to two times greater than from the traditional slash-and-burn system.

Effects of irrigation before sowing and plastic film mulching on yield and water uptake of spring wheat in semiarid Loess Plateau of China

To improve crop yield in semiarid areas, it is valuable to combine irrigation of harvested rainwater with plastic film mulching technology. Limited irrigation after mulching is not usually practiced. This research was to study the combination of pre-sowing irrigation and film mulch and its effect on spring wheat grain yield in semiarid Loess Plateau in China. Four treatments were employed: (1) C—control, without pre-sowing irrigation and without mulching; (2) I—pre-sowing irrigation of 30 mm without mulching; (3) M—plastic film mulching without pre-sowing irrigation; and (4) IM—30 mm pre-sowing irrigation plus mulching. Plastic films in mulched plots were removed at 60 days after sowing (DAS). Although soil water evaporation in the mulched treatments is reduced by film mulch, soil water content in the mulched treatments was lower than in the non-mulched treatments by 60 DAS. Pre-sowing irrigation increased evapotranspiration, but the percentage of water supply from the soil profile in the overall evapotranspiration is just within the range from 7.1 to 33.5%. Rainfall and irrigation during the growing period provide most of the water for evapotranspiration, especially in very dry years. The grain yield was 29.4% greater in treatment IM in 1999 and 112.4% greater in 2000 compared with control, and 35.7% greater in 1999 and 47.3% greater in 2000 compared with the treatment M. Correlation analysis revealed that the spikelet number and the fertile spikelet number were the key factors determining grain yield formation, at least in these two years. The greatest water-use efficiency (WUE) was found in treatment IM for both years, and was significantly higher than in other treatments. The WUE was higher in the wet year of 1999 than in the dry year of 2000. The combination of pre-sowing irrigation with film mulching increased the soil temperature in the seedling stage, reduced the water deficit, and achieved the highest shoot biomass, grain yield, and water-use efficiency of the 2 years. It is, therefore, concluded that the combination of pre-sowing irrigation with plastic film mulching works well in increasing plant growth and yield of spring wheat and can be adopted for spring wheat production in the semiarid areas.

Effects of irrigation before sowing and plastic film mulching on yield and water uptake of spring wheat in semiarid Loess Plateau of China

To improve crop yield in semiarid areas, it is valuable to combine irrigation of harvested rainwater with plastic film mulching technology. Limited irrigation after mulching is not usually practiced. This research was to study the combination of pre-sowing irrigation and film mulch and its effect on spring wheat grain yield in semiarid Loess Plateau in China. Four treatments were employed: (1) C—control, without pre-sowing irrigation and without mulching; (2) I—pre-sowing irrigation of 30 mm without mulching; (3) M—plastic film mulching without pre-sowing irrigation; and (4) IM—30 mm pre-sowing irrigation plus mulching. Plastic films in mulched plots were removed at 60 days after sowing (DAS). Although soil water evaporation in the mulched treatments is reduced by film mulch, soil water content in the mulched treatments was lower than in the non-mulched treatments by 60 DAS. Pre-sowing irrigation increased evapotranspiration, but the percentage of water supply from the soil profile in the overall evapotranspiration is just within the range from 7.1 to 33.5%. Rainfall and irrigation during the growing period provide most of the water for evapotranspiration, especially in very dry years. The grain yield was 29.4% greater in treatment IM in 1999 and 112.4% greater in 2000 compared with control, and 35.7% greater in 1999 and 47.3% greater in 2000 compared with the treatment M. Correlation analysis revealed that the spikelet number and the fertile spikelet number were the key factors determining grain yield formation, at least in these two years. The greatest water-use efficiency (WUE) was found in treatment IM for both years, and was significantly higher than in other treatments. The WUE was higher in the wet year of 1999 than in the dry year of 2000. The combination of pre-sowing irrigation with film mulching increased the soil temperature in the seedling stage, reduced the water deficit, and achieved the highest shoot biomass, grain yield, and water-use efficiency of the 2 years. It is, therefore, concluded that the combination of pre-sowing irrigation with plastic film mulching works well in increasing plant growth and yield of spring wheat and can be adopted for spring wheat production in the semiarid areas.

OPEN-HOLE EFFECTS OF PERFORATED PLASTIC MULCHES ON SOIL WATER EVAPORATION

Plastic film mulch technology is a cropping system feature for water saving that is used extensively in and and semiarid areas of northwest China. When evaporative demand is fairly strong, film mulching can greatly reduce soil water evaporation. However, research on water flow beneath and through various open hole ratios of the perforated film mulches is limited, and questions concerning soil water flow and soil heat transfer for this type of water-saving system remain unanswered. It is, therefore, very important to perform research on soil water evaporation and soil temperature distribution with various open hole ratios of the perforated plastic mulches. A series of soil water evaporation experiments using different open hole ratios of perforated plastic mulches was conducted. The columns received mulches with various open hole ratios: 0% (covered with a solid plastic mulch), 1.39%, 2.84%, 7.24%, 30.5%, and 100% (nonmulched bare surface). In conjunction with the water movement of evaporation from film hole studies, soil temperature distributions were also analyzed. Our measurements indicated that film hole mulch had a restraining effect on evaporation and that the restraining effect decreased with the increase in open hole ratios. Compared with bare soil evaporation, the percentage of evaporation reduction rates for open hole ratios of 0%, 1.39%, 2.84%, 7.24%, and 30.5% were 69.26%, 33.09%, 22.80%, 20.05%, and 11.82%, respectively. The results showed a linear relationship between cumulative water evaporation and square root of time for the different open hole ratios of the perforated plastic mulches, and the coefficients of the linear function, i.e., the C parameters, were fitted well with the open hole ratios-u(C = 0.0101u(0.1019) + 0.0075). On this basis, mathematical relations of relative evaporation rate and evaporation based on hole areas of perforated plastic mulches were analyzed and discussed. These results extend the Gardner evaporation equation to bare soils to include water evaporation from soils covered by various perforated plastic mulches. The resulting equations presented in this paper provide an approach for describing evaporation from plastic mulch-covered soil.

Polythene film mulch technology for yield maximization in summer groundnut (Arachis hypogaea)

A field experiment was conducted during the post-rainy (summer) season of 1998 and 1999 to study the response of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) variety ICGS 11 to various layouts and mulches, specially polythene film mulch (PMG). Groundnut yield was not influenced significantly due to different layouts, viz. broad-bed furrow (BBF) and flat bed, however numerically higher pod yield was , recorded with BBF. Growth, yield and yield-attributing characters of groundnut were increased significantly due to straw mulch as well as polythene mulched groundnut. The polythene mulched groundnut recorded significantly higher pod yield (4,061 kg/ha), haulm yield (7,274 kg1ha)-and kernel yield (2,930 kg/ha) over straw mulch and no mulch groundnut. Under polythene mulch dry pod yield, haulm yield and kernel yield were 19.76%, 4.82% and 21.13% higher over straw mulch groundnut and 41.9%, 13.9% and 44.6% higher over no mulch groundnut. Besides yield increase, polythene mulched groundnut enhanced the pod maturity by 8 days as compared to control.

Integrated crop management of hot pepper (Capsicumspp.) under tropical lowland conditions: Effects of mulch on crop performance and production

SummaryThe effects of mulches were investigated within integrated crop management (ICM) of hot pepper in tropical lowland sites. Mulch materials consisted of rice straw and white or silvery plastic foils. Mulches affected soil temperature, light reflection, and soil nutrient concentrations after the last harvest. Rice straw mulch reduced soil temperature, induced faster plant growth, advanced mid-fruiting time, and resulted in higher potassium contents in leaves, but had no effect on crop producton. Plastic mulches increased soil temperature, induced faster plant growth and earlier fruiting, reduced phosphorus concentration in leaves and fruits, and increased nitrogen concentration in leaves and fruits. Yield and mean fruit weight of healthy fruits were increased and earliness of harvesting was enhanced. Improved crop performance and production with increase of fertilizer efficiency, control of evaporation, leaching and soil erosion makes plastic mulches suitable for use in ICM. To minimize the negative side-effect of plastic waste on the environment, further improvement of the mulch technology is required. Preliminary field results and a tentative cost-benefit analysis are in favour of the application of plastic mulch in hot pepper under tropical lowland conditions.

Reducing Methyl Bromide Field Application Rates with Plastic Mulch Technology

This document is ENY-046, one of a series of the Entomology & Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: January 2002.