Soil Humidity Dynamic on a Tomato Crop Mulched with Different Materials

  • Valentin SINGUREANU University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Mănăştur Street, no. 3 - 5 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Anca HUSTI University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Mănăştur Street, no. 3 - 5 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Ioana NEACȘU University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Mănăştur Street, no. 3 - 5 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Gelu MOLDOVAN University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Mănăştur Street, no. 3 - 5 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Keywords: evapotranspiration, mulching material, soil temperature.

Abstract

The history of mulching goes back in time starting 1950; when it was for the first time used organic mulch as a covering material for the soil. Starting 1983 plastic films are for the first time used as mulching material. Although soil mulching with plastic films establishes a better production and an early one, reduces the soil erosion (hidric and air erosion), reduces soil compactation, the number of irrigation cycles, reduces the development of weeds (effect depending of the material color) it has an important issue - integrated recycling system. The aim of the paper consists in observing the soil humidity dynamic of a tomato crop in different stages of development. Different mulching materials where used (unmulched soil - experimental control, straw mulching, polyethylene mulching). The soil humidity dynamic was observed on decades using the moisture and soil temperature meter Aquaterr T300 (used for soil temperature and humidity determination). In order to observe the soil temperature under different mulching materials on decades, where recorded data at 800 AM and 1200 AM. Temperature readings where keen on: interior experimental plot temperature, exterior experimental plot temperature, unmulched soil temperature, black plastic film soil temperature, straw mulched soil temperature. Regarding the soil evapotranspiration rate, all the unmulched experimental variants recorded the highest evapotranspiration rate compared with the black plastic films mulched variants where evapotranspiration was significantly reduced.
Published
2013-12-19