Assessment of selected mulches for reducing evaporation from soil columns and dynamics of soil moisture and temperature
2001
Begum, S.A. (Gifu Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture) | Ito, K. | Senge, M. | Hashimoto, I.
A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different mulches on albedo, evaporation efficiency, soil moisture loss/redistribution, and changes in soil temperature. The treatments were: Bare (without mulch) , Black (black polyethylene film mulch) ,Paper(recycled paper mulch) , Straw 1 (straw mulch of low application rate) and Straw 2 (straw mulch of high application rate). Albedo was lowest under Black polyethylene film while Straw 2 recorded the highest value of albedo. The albedo of Bare increased with time because its soil surface became light with drying. The evaporation efficiency (the ratio of actual evaporation to potential evaporation) was highest (92%) in Bare and lowest (26%) in Straw 2. Evaporation efficiency decreased in the order as follows: Bare > Paper > Straw I > Straw 2. When the decrease in evaporation commenced, the volumetric water content was 30 vol.%, which nearly corresponded to the wilting point, at 2cm depth from the soil surface in all test treatments. The daily maximum soil temperature of Black film was higher than Bare, but that of the others were lower than Bare treatment. Daily minimum soil temperature of each treatment was higher than Bare treatment.
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