PJB-2023-1519
The effects of different biodegradable mulches on weed population and fruit yield in watermelon production field
Ramazan Gurbuz and Pinar Gul
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various biodegradable mulch materials on watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) yield and weed control over two consecutive crop seasons in Iğdır, Türkiye (2019-2020). Crimson Sweet, the region's most widely cultivated watermelon variety, was used. A randomized complete block design with 9 treatments and 4 replications was used for the experiment. Organic mulch materials included oat straw, peat, sawdust, fresh lawn clippings, decayed lawn clippings, flax, and felt. Each block had two distinct controls, a weedy and a weed-free (hoeing) treatment. The researchers looked into the effects of mulch materials on weed control, fruit yield (kg/da), average fruit weight (kg), fruit diameter (cm), and soluble solids concentration (SSC - percent brix). Chenopodium album, Amaranthus retroflexus, Heliotropium europeum, Chenopodium botrys, and Atriplex hortensis were the top five weeds with the highest density. The most effective mulch materials in terms of weed control were obtained from flax cover and felt applications in both years of the study, where weed growth was not observed in these parcels. The weed-free parcel produced the highest yield in both years. The weed-free parcels produced the highest yield in both years, 5.339 tons/da in 2019 and 4.839 tons/da in 2020. Fresh lawn clipping (3.718 tons/da) and oat straw (3.434 tons/da) yielded the highest yields after weed-free treatments in 2019. The same treatments were found to provide the two highest yields in the second year experiments, but in reverse order: oat straw (4.309 tons/da) and fresh lawn clipping (4.193 tons/da). Similarly, the weed-free parcels had the highest fruit weight, fruit diameter, and SSC. Fresh lawn clipping and oat straw treated parcels produced the second and third best results for each test parameter. Aside from these treatments, all other mulch applications yielded significantly better results than the weedy parcels, indicating that mulch applications are very beneficial in controlling weeds and improving fruit yield and quality.
To Cite this article:
Gürbüz, R. and P. Gül. 2023. The effects of different biodegradable mulches on weed population and fruit yield in watermelon production field. Pak. J. Bot., 55(2): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2023-2(39)
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