Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have'

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• Happiness is not having what you want, but
  wanting what you have.
• - Rabbi
  H. Schachtel

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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• CHAPTER XVIIUSE OF SOIL MULCH

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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INTRODUCTION
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• Since the beginning of civilization, the man has
  developed technologies to increase the efficiency
  of food production.
• The use of soil mulch is one of these traditional
  techniques that have been used for centuries in
  the intensive production of crops.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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INTRODUCTION
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 3. The practice consists in placing mulch over
  the soil surface to create a favorable
  soil-water-plant relation.
• 4. The mulch has a significant effect on soil
  climate and the microclimate surrounding the
  plant.
• 5. It mainly affects the thermodynamic
  environment, the moisture, the erosion, the
  physical soil structure, the incidence of pests
  and diseases, the crop yield and the crop growth.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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INTRODUCTION
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 6. Any type of material can be used as a mulch
  (soil cover). In practice, however some are more
  appropriate than others for agricultural use.
• 7. In the past, natural and synthetic mulches
  have been used and evaluated, such as Paper
  products, glass fabrics, bituminous emulsions,
  metal fabrics of aluminum and polyethylene
  laminates, crop organic waste, etc.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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INTRODUCTION
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 8. The selection of the mulch material depends
  mainly on the availability, the cost, and the
  efficiency of use, and the purpose of use.
• 9. The soil plastic mulch (polyethylene plastic)
  is a commonly used soil cover in the intensive
  production of vegetables, throughout the world.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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ADVANTAGES
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• The use of soil mulch in combination with drip
  irrigation technology help to increase
  significantly the commercial yield of various
  vegetable crops. It improves the quality of the
  crop.
• 2. The silver coated plastic mulch increases the
  photosynthesis of some crops. Therefore, the
  growth is accelerated causing an early flowering
  and fruit formation.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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ADVANTAGES
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 3. The mulches of opaque color reduce the
  germination and growth of weeds. This reduces the
  competition with the crop and the labor
  requirement for inter-cultivation.
• 4. The direct water loss due to evaporation is
  greatly reduced, which then contributes to a
  uniform soil moisture in the root zone.
• 5. Help protect the soil from the direct impact
  of rain drops, contributing to the conservation
  of soil structure. This also reduces erosion.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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ADVANTAGES
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 6. It has an effect on the soil climate and the
  microclimate surrounding the plant, thus
  affecting thermodynamic environment.
• The use of bright or reflecting mulches reduce
  the incidence of certain insects.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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ADVANTAGES
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• Soil mulch serves as a barrier to certain soil
  pathogens. It also helps to maintain the fruits
  free of dirt, thus requiring less attention in
  the classification, packing and processing phase.
  
• 9. The use of soil mulch is a complement to the
  drip irrigation system. This simplifies the
  localization and management of soil fertilizers,
  soil fumigants, and reduces the losses due to
  leaching to deeper layers.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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DISADVANTAGES
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• The soil mulch, as many other agricultural
  techniques,
• cannot adapt to all crops, places, and specific
  targets.
• The following list enumerates the major
  disadvantages
• 1. Expensive Its use is recommended in high
  value and rentable crops that are adaptable to
  the mechanization.
• 2. Most of the plastics mulches do not decompose
  easily. Therefore these must be removed out the
  field at the end of crop season. However,
  biodegradable mulches can solve this problem.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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DISADVANTAGES
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 3. The operations of installation and removal of
  mulch increase the labor requirements.
• 4. Complicates the banded application of solid
  fertilizers. The fertilizer must be applied
  before the installation of mulch. However, the
  soluble fertilizers can be applied through the
  irrigation water.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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JUSTIFICATIONS
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• Despite many disadvantages, there are a series of
• conditions that justify the use of soil mulch
• 1. The lack of water in arid and semiarid regions
  around the world requires intelligent use of
  irrigation water by increasing the application
  efficiency.
• 2. The necessity of increasing demand for food
  requires efficient methods of increasing the crop
  yield with limited resources.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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JUSTIFICATIONS
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 3. There is a great demand for high quality
  products, which requires that the crop does not
  come in contact with soil.
• 4. The high cost of fertilizers requires an
  effective use.
• 5. The necessity of reducing the incidence of
  insects. Less use of chemical agents to control
  pests and diseases which reduce the contamination
  of our environment.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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RESEARCH ADVANCES IN THE USE OF SOIL MULCH
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 1. The Agricultural Experimental Stations
  throughout the world have realized investigations
  on the evaluation of effects and viability of the
  soil mulch in the crop production under limited
  natural resources.
• 2. Most of this technology has been directly
  transferred and adapted from one place to another
  around the world. The drip irrigation system
  technology has been adapted in conjunction with
  soil mulch.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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RESEARCH ADVANCES IN THE USE OF SOIL MULCH
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 3. However, many of these research findings and
  experiences in these places are not absolutely
  applicable to our necessities because the data
  were obtained under variable conditions of
  climate and soil.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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EFFECTS ON THE CROP YIELD
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• Experiments realized at the Agricultural
  Experimental Substation of University of Puerto
  Rico, Juana Díaz-PR demonstrated that the use of
  silver coated black plastic in combination with
  the drip irrigation system increased
  significantly the yield of various vegetables, in
  comparison with non-soil mulch treatments (Table
  1).
• The use of silver coated black plastic
  significantly increased the yield of sweet
  peppers compared to treatments using transparent
  plastic, white plastic or black plastic.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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EFFECTS ON THE CROP YIELD
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 3. These findings are in agreement with the ones
  obtained by other investigators around the world.
  In scientific terms, the increase in crop yield
  is due to a series of physical, climatological
  and biological effects that are favored by the
  mulch. In practical terms, this increase in crop
  yield means more income for the farmer.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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LABOR INPUT REQUIREMENTS
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 1. The use of mulch increases the labor input
  because of the installation, maintenance, and
  removal operations, as is shown in table 1. In
  practical terms this means that the farmer have
  to incur additional expenses when using the soil
  mulch.
• 2. Different studies have demonstrated that the
  use of soil mulch reduces the labor requirements
  for weeding to 4, depending on the crop and
  season of the year. Without mulch, the weeding
  requires between 13 to 27 of the total labor
  input requirements.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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LABOR INPUT REQUIREMENTS
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 3. This reduction, in addition to other benefits,
  can justify the use of soil mulch.
• 4. The use of soil mulch through manual
  operations requires between 15 to 28 of the
  total labor requirements. These values can be
  significantly reduced by mechanizing the
  installation and mulch disposal operations.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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Chart 1 Labor Requirements
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch
1 Cantaloupe 2 Cucumber 3 Green Beans 4 Pepper 5
Tomato 6 Watermelon
Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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Chart 2 Average Yield
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch
1 Cantaloupe 2 Cucumber 3 Green Beans 4 Pepper 5
Tomato 6 Watermelon
Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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CONSERVATION OF SOIL MOISTURE
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• The soil mulch reduces water loss due to
  evaporation. Moreover, it inhibits the weed
  growth and reduces the water use by weeds.
• This contributes to a more efficient irrigation
  management.
• The plastic mulch treatments were more efficient
  in conserving and maintaining a uniform soil
  moisture in the roof zone, in comparison with the
  organic mulch.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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CONSERVATION OF SOIL MOISTURE
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 4. Both types of mulch were more efficient than
  without mulch.
• Maintaining a more uniform moisture storage and
  increasing the water use efficiency will imply
  less frequent irrigations, and savings in water
  and energy.
• On short and long terms basis, this means net in
  the pocket and more profit for the farmer, under
  well irrigated conditions.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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SOIL TEMPERATURE
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 1. The effects of different soil mulch treatments
  plastic mulch (transparent, white, black and
  silver), organic mulch and control (without
  mulch) were evaluated on the soil temperature
  at four depths (0, 7.5, 15.0, 22.5 cm) during
  each time of the day (morning, noon and evening)
  and two seasons (summer and winter) in drip
  irrigated sweet peppers.
• The use of transparent plastic mulch causes a
  rise in the soil temperature higher than in the
  other treatments at all depths and time of the
  day in winter and summer.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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SOIL TEMPERATURE
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 3. This is because the transparent mulch allows
  passage of most of the sun radiations received on
  the soil surface, causing a soil heating by
  absorption.
• 4. Generally, the inferior side of the plastic
  is covered of condensed water drops in the
  morning before the sun rises.
• 5. The water creates a barrier that allows the
  entrance of infrared radiations of short wave,
  but large wave radiations cannot escape out. This
  is the reason that most of the heat that will be
  irradiated to space will be retained in soil.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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SOIL TEMPERATURE
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 6. Furthermore, the surface evaporation decreases
  considerably conserving the evaporation energy.
  This increment in the heat flow contributes in
  the rising of soil temperature.
• In Israel, this phenomenon, denominated as
  conservatory effect has been used as a method
  for sterilizing and reducing the incidence of
  certain pests and diseases in the soil.
• In Puerto Rico, the difference in temperature
  generated by the transparent mulch is not
  sufficient to carry out this practice.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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SOIL TEMPERATURE
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• The temperature in all plastic mulch treatments
  was higher than the ones in the control, during
  the morning at all depths, in winter and summer.
• This is attributed to the heat absorption by the
  drops of condensed water under the mulch and to
  the reduction in the heat loss by evaporation.
• The interaction of these physical and biological
  effects can cause an early appearance of the
  fruit and an increase in the crop yield.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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SOIL TEMPERATURE
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 12.The soil temperatures in reflecting plastic
  mulch treatments (white and silver) were lower
  than the ones in the control, during noon and
  evening at all depths during both crop seasons.
  This effect is attributed to soil temperature
  which varies depending on the reflection,
  absorption or transmission when receiving the
  solar radiation. The reflecting mulches transmit
  to the soil just a few of the radiations
  received.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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SOIL TEMPERATURE
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• 13. In general terms, significant differences in
  temperature in various treatments were not
  observed for very cloudy or rainy days. It was
  attributed to the low intensity of soil radiation
  received by the soil surface. It could be
  observed that the variations in temperature were
  more pronounced during the first 30 days of the
  growing cycle

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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INTEGRAL CONTROL OF WEEDS
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• The integral weeding is of great importance in
  vegetable crops using soil mulch.
• In pepper and tomato production, the highest net
  profit was obtained using plastic mulch combined
  with weeding or the direct application of some
  herbicide.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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INTEGRAL CONTROL OF WEEDS
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• The use of plastic mulch in combination of
  agricultural practices is recommendable.
• Nevertheless, the use of an additional chemical
  agents or weeding (manual or mechanical) will
  depend greatly on the economic considerations in
  each case.
• The opaque mulches avoid the germination of weeds.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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INTEGRAL CONTROL OF WEEDS
Chapter XVII Use of Soil Mulch

• The transparent mulches stimulate the growth of
  weeds since the light can pass through the soil.
• The Cyperus rotundus L. weed could not be
  controlled using soil mulches because during its
  germination, the mulch was perforated.

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal
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• Dont wait for extraordinary opportunities.
  Seize common occasions and make them great.
• - Orison
  Swett Marden

Management of Drip/ Micro or Trickle
Irrigation by Megh R. Goyal