Mulching is a process of covering the soil surface with organic or inorganic materials, which provides favorable conditions for plant growth and development by creating a suitable microclimate around the plant root zone.
Advantages Of Mulching
It prevents the direct evaporation of soil water due to the sun, hence crops require less water.
It helps to suppress the growth of weeds.
It provides a suitable microclimate near the root zone which helps in good root development.
The mulching films prevent direct contact of plant flowers, fruit and other plant parts with soil, preventing them from soil borne diseases.
The mulching film reflects sunlight and temperature, so pests like aphids and thrips, leafminer are controlled. It is also effective against soil nematodes. Yellow mulching attracts whiteflies and helps to control them.
The mulching film behaves like a heat and cold insulator. Mulch helps prevent soil from rapidly freezing in winter and it helps control soil temperature in summer.
Mulching acts as a barrier between soil and raindrops, hence slows down the soil erosion process.
Effectiveness of drip irrigation increases as less water evaporates.
Type Of Mulching
Generally mulching are of two types. organic mulching and inorganic mulching, both having their own advantages.
Organic Mulching
An organic mulch is made up of natural materials like paddy straw, wheat straw, bark, dry grasses, wood chips, dry leaves, pine needles, sawdust, grass clipping, etc.
But this organic mulch material gets decomposed early and needs repeated replacement, and it also attracts insects pests which is not favourable for the crop.
Straw Mulch
This is the most common material used in organic mulch. Paddy and wheat straws are the most commonly used for this.
Among different organic mulching materials, straw has a long life compared to other mulches like grasses, leaves, and sawdust.
Paddy straw and wheat straw also makes the soil more fertile after decomposition.
Grass Clipping Mulch
It is the most easily available mulching material.
green grass or dry grass used for grass clipping mulch.
After decomposition, grass provides nitrogen to the soil and makes it fertile.
In the rainy season, green grass develops its root system, so it is suggested that use dry grass for mulching during the rainy season.
Limitation of Organic Mulching
organic mulch sometimes affects poorly drained soil. it makes the soil too moist, hence, the air circulation near the root zone decreases.
Organic mulches may provide shelter for insect snails and mice. And they attack plant parts.
Grass and straw mulch contain seeds so that they may germinate and become weeds for the main crop.
Inorganic Mulching
Inorganic mulching uses different materials like plastic films, geotextiles, Gravel, and pebbles etc.
These types of mulches are extensively used in commercial agriculture.
Among all inorganic mulches, Plastic mulch is the most common material used in agriculture. It has more durability.
Plastic Mulch
Plastic mulch is made up of polyethylene.
Various types and colours of plastic mulching are available according to crop need.
Clear Plastic Mulch
This type of mulch allows the soil to warm as it passes sunlight.
This type of mulch is mostly used in the cooler area.
This mulch is beneficial for crops like strawberry in the winter season.
Black Mulch
Both sides of this mulch is black in colour.
This mulch doesn’t transfer light and helps in conserving moisture.
Yellow- Brown Mulch
In this type of mulch the brown side is touching the soil, and the yellow side is facing upward.
It is used in the area where you find a lot of infestation of whitefly. Yellow colour attracts whiteflies and when whitefly come into contact with mulch, due to sun heat they are killed.
Silver- Black Mulch
Silver- black mulch is very popular and is suitable for almost every crop.
This mulch reflects light to the fruits and plants which improves colour development in fruit.
White-Black Mulch
White-black mulch reflects more than 60% of the radiation back to the plant hence enhancing the plant growth and development. The plant becomes less susceptible to attack of insects and diseases.
you get higher production in summer with this mulch.
How To Select Right Mulching
Selecting the perfect mulch martial is an important decision for the farmer. Right mulch film must be selected to get maximum benefits from mulch.
Some consideration must be made to selecting a right mulch
Thickness
For vegetable crops, mulch film thickness ranges from 15 microns to 30 microns, while for orchard crops, film thickness ranges from 100 microns to 150 microns.
Depend Upon crop types, select a proper thickness. For vegetable crops, use 30 microns if you are using over one year. For small duration crops use 25 microns thickness.
For an Orchard crop, longer durability is needed. select 100-150 micron film.
Quality
A good mulching film possesses long durability, airproof and Thermal proof ( they don’t pass any light or very less light ) characteristic.
Take a small plastic mulching film to check it against the sunlight. If it is transferring the light, do not use it.
How To Install Mulching
Time
In vegetable crops, mulching should be done at the time of final bed preparation, and in orchard crops, it should be done just after plantation.
Installation
The rows are to be marked in the crop field before the installation of mulch film.
Prepare the primary bed with organic compost and recommended dose of fertilisers.
Prepare the final beds with top width 75-90 cm for two-row crops like Cauliflower, Capsicum, Cabbage and for single row crops like Tomato, Brinjal, Chilli, Cucumber make top width 45-60 cm.
Before installation, make sure that the bed is flat and remove materials like big stone, plant branches, stem, etc. which may damage the mulch.
Put the drip laterals on the bed and check if they are working or not before installation of mulch.
Then Install the mulch film by stretching evenly on the beds manually or by mechanically such that the mulch settles well on the bed.
Cover the corners of the mulch film (up to 20 cm from both ends) with soil.
make a hole in the mulch film with the help of a hot pipe or stainless steel glass for plant germination.
Conclusion
Use mulch for good crop yields with lesser use of water and pesticides. It helps in uniform and healthy plant growth and development. Hope this article may give some ideas about mulching. Please share your valuable comments here. Thank you.
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