Summary
Possibilities of manipulating hydrothermal regime of soil with different organic mulches and their effect on the growth of potato crop was studied. Mulches like mat (Typha sp. interwoven into a web) and Pennisitum stalks lowered the soil temperature maxima at a depth of 10 cm by 1.5°C during autumn and by 3.5°C during spring as compared with control plots. Polyethylene mulch increased soil temperature maxima by 1.4°C and 2.2°C during autumn and spring, respectively and minima by 2.4°C during both the seasons. This treatment saved two and the former treatment one irrigation each out of a total of six irrigations applied to control plots. During autumn polyethylene gave significantly higher yield as compared with other treatments. During spring, when both polyethylene and coal dust increased soil temperature, yields were low under these treatments and the tubers were malformed with many sprouts. The yield as well as tuber size were governed by minimum soil temperature during autumn but soil temperature maxima influenced both yield and quality in the spring crop. The results of the study point out to the possibility of manipulating soil temperature in order to improve quality and yield of potato crop under the climatic conditions of North India.
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Girton, S.S., Singh, N.T. Effect of organic mulches on the hydrothermal regime of soil and growth of potato crop in Northern India. Plant Soil 40, 33–47 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011407
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011407