EJPAU 2012. Zaniewicz-Bajkowska A. , Kosterna E. , Rosa R. , Franczuk J. THE EFFECT OF PLANT MULCHES ON SOIL MOISTURE IN VEGETABLE CULTIVATION

Electronic Journal of Polish Agricultural Universities (EJPAU) founded by all Polish Agriculture Universities presents original papers and review articles relevant to all aspects of agricultural sciences. It is target for persons working both in science and industry,regulatory agencies or teaching in agricultural sector. Covered by IFIS Publishing (Food Science and Technology Abstracts), ELSEVIER Science - Food Science and Technology Program, CAS USA (Chemical Abstracts), CABI Publishing UK and ALPSP (Association of Learned and Professional Society Publisher - full membership). Presented in the Master List of Thomson ISI.

2012
Volume 15
Issue 2

Topic:

Horticulture

ELECTRONIC
JOURNAL OF
POLISH
AGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITIES

Zaniewicz-Bajkowska A. , Kosterna E. , Rosa R. , Franczuk J. 2012. THE EFFECT OF PLANT MULCHES ON SOIL MOISTURE IN VEGETABLE CULTIVATION, EJPAU 15(2), #04.
Available Online: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume15/issue2/abs-04.html

THE EFFECT OF PLANT MULCHES ON SOIL MOISTURE IN VEGETABLE CULTIVATION

Anna Zaniewicz-Bajkowska¹, Edyta Kosterna¹, Robert Rosa², Jolanta Franczuk¹
¹ Department of Vegetable Crops, Podlasie University in Siedlce, Poland
² Department of Vegetable Crops, Podlasie University in Siedlce, Poland

ABSTRACT

Catch crop cultivation and soil mulching offer many benefits pertaining to environment protection, and match well the rules of organic and sustainable agriculture. Soil mulching is also one of the methods which positively influence physical soil properties as well as moisture. A field experiment was conducted over the years 2002–2006. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of plant mulches (phacelia, spring vetch, serradella, oat) incorporated and retained as mulch on the soil surface on soil moisture changes (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm) in red cabbage and onion cultivation. The effect of mulching was compared to an unmulched control. Soil samples were taken after planting of cabbage seedlings, in the period of cabbage head formation and before cabbage harvest, and after sowing onion seeds, in the period of onion formation and before onion harvest. Higher moisture contents of both the upper and lower soil layers at all the dates of sampling in cabbage cultivation were found in the plots where plant mulches had been ploughed down in the autumn or left on the surface until the end of cabbage growing season, in comparison with the spring-ploughed plots. Phacelia and oat produced more organic matter and, when used as a mulch, they more beneficially influenced soil moisture content compared with serradella and spring vetch. The influence of the above catch crops lasted for the whole growing season of cabbage whereas the effect of oat was noticed even in the following year, after onion planting. Legumes undergo decomposition more rapidly and their mulching effect is much shorter than plants representing other botanical families.

Key words: catch crops, mulching, soil water content, red cabbage, onion.

Anna Zaniewicz-Bajkowska
Department of Vegetable Crops,
Podlasie University in Siedlce, Poland
14 B. Prusa Street, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
tel. (+48 25) 643 12 76

Edyta Kosterna
Department of Vegetable Crops,
Podlasie University in Siedlce, Poland
14 B. Prusa Street, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
tel. (+48 25) 643 12 76

Robert Rosa
Department of Vegetable Crops,
Podlasie University in Siedlce, Poland
14 B. Prusa Street, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
Phone: (+48 25) 643 12 76
email: robro@ap.siedlce.pl

Jolanta Franczuk
Department of Vegetable Crops,
Podlasie University in Siedlce, Poland
14 B. Prusa Street, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
tel. (+48 25) 643 12 76

Responses to this article, comments are invited and should be submitted within three months of the publication of the article. If accepted for publication, they will be published in the chapter headed 'Discussions' and hyperlinked to the article.