Impact of Mulch Film Color on Soil Temperature and Yield of Cucumber Cultivated in the Fall in Sichuan Basin

Abstract

【Background】 Cucumber is one of the main vegetables cultivated in the Sichuan basin, but the annual average solar radiation, 1 500 MJ/m2, in the basin cannot meet its requirement for light. Many studies have shown that mulching soil by plastic film can improve light utilization efficiency of plants and consequently increases their yields. 【Objective】 This paper aims to investigate the effects of the color of mulch films on development and yield of cucumber grown in the fall in the Sichuan basin. 【Method】 The field experiments compared four plastic films: transparent film (T1), black film (T2) and silver-black film (T3), with a treatment without mulch taken as the control (CK). In each treatment, we measured soil temperature profile, change in plant height and other plant traits. 【Result】 Compared with the CK, mulching at low light condition in the fall increased the root-zone temperature, with T1, T2 and T3 increasing the temperature in 0~15 cm soil by 0.8~0.9 ℃, 0.5~0.6 ℃ and 0.2~0.6 ℃, respectively. Compared with the CK, T1, T2 and T3 increased the plant height by 6.9%, 8.7% and 15.3% respectively, the number of fruits per plant by 20.6%, 20.6% and 8.8%, respectively, and the plot-yield by 19.25%, 7.18% and 16.24% respectively. Mulching with all three plastic films increased soil temperature and promoted cucumber growth, thereby increasing it yield. No significant difference was found between the three film mulches in their impact on soil temperature and the cucumber yield. 【Conclusion】 Film mulch can improve yield of the cucumber grown in the fall, and there was no difference between the three mulch films we compared in their impact on soil temperature and the cumber yield.

Keywords

• mulch films
• cucumber
• root zone temperature
• plant traits
• yield