Dissertation
BIODEGRADABLE MULCH FOR PUMPKIN AND SWEET CORN PRODUCTION: CROP YIELD AND QUALITY, AND MULCH DEGRADATION
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2018
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/118245
Abstract
Biodegradable plastic mulch offers crop production benefits similar to polyethylene (PE) mulch and is designed to be tilled into the soil after use thereby eliminating waste and disposal challenges. Three studies were carried out in Mount Vernon, WA and Knoxville, TN to evaluate biodegradable plastic mulch for pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) and sweet corn (Zea mays L.) production, and to assess the amount of biodegradable mulch remaining in the field post soil-incorporation. The first study investigated four biodegradable plastic mulches (BioAgri, Organix Naturecycle and Experimental consisting of polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoates), and a biodegradable paper mulch (WeedGuardPlus) against PE mulch and bare ground for weed control and impact on ‘Cinnamon Girl’ pie pumpkin yield and quality. Biodegradable plastic mulches controlled weeds and increased marketable pumpkin yield and quality the same as PE mulch compared to bare ground. The second study compared eight mulch treatments (same mulch treatments as the first study except one additional mulch, a clear Organix) for their effect on ‘Xtra Tender 2171’ sweet corn growth, yield and quality at Mount Vernon, WA. Biodegradable plastic mulches increased plant height, shortened the days to tasseling, silking and harvest, and increased marketable ear yield and quality as PE mulch compared to bare ground. In the third study, three field experiments were carried out to test the reliability of a soil sampling method to assess mulch fragments in the soil following soil-incorporation. Different number of soil samples per plot were collected in each experiment using a golf hole cutter (10 cm diameter and 15 cm deep), and found that less than 70% of tilled-in mulch was recovered, there was high variability between plots within each treatment due to uneven distribution of the mulch fragments in the plot, and even 50 samples per plot did not provide an accurate estimate of the amount of mulch remaining in the field. Taken overall, biodegradable plastic mulches performed comparable to PE mulch for pumpkin and sweet corn production, but soil sampling with a golf hole cutter was ineffective to assess the amount of biodegradable mulch remaining in the field and new methods are needed.
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Details
- Title
- BIODEGRADABLE MULCH FOR PUMPKIN AND SWEET CORN PRODUCTION: CROP YIELD AND QUALITY, AND MULCH DEGRADATION
- Creators
- Shuresh Ghimire
- Contributors
- Carol A Miles (Advisor)Markus Flury (Committee Member)Jeremy S Cowan (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Horticulture
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 145
- Identifiers
- 99900581624801842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation