Plastic mulch effect on soil temperature and its relationships to the growth and yield of muskmelon

Abstract

The effect of four different plastic films on the soil temperature and its relations hip to the growth and yield of muskmelon crop were evaluated. The plastic films studied were: black polyethylene of 37.5 and 20 μm, clear polyethylene of 37.5 and 20 μm. As a control, a treatment with no plastic film was included. The plastic films were evaluated at 40% and 60% of soil water availability. A randomized block with subdivided plots was adapted as the experimental design. The soil temperature was measured at soil depths of 25, 50 and 100 mm, using cupper-constantan thermocouples. The measurements were scanned every 10 seconds and averaged every 30 minutes. The results of this study indicated that the average soil temperature at the three depths was higher under the clear polyethylene of 37.5 and 20 μm, followed by the black polyethylene and the controls. At the 40% of soil water availability, the highest fruit yield (75.88 t ha-1) was observed under the black polyethylene of 20 μm, which was 98% higher than the control, while for the 60% of soil water availability, the highest fruit yield (66.61 t ha-1) was observed under the black polyethylene of 37.5 μm, which was 84% higher than the control at the same soil water availability.