Effect of Mulching on Microclimatic Manipulation, Weed Suppression, and Growth and Yield of Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Aim: An experiment was conducted in the Bangladesh Agricultural University to study the effect of various mulches on microclimatic manipulation, weed suppression, and growth and yield of pea (Pisum sativum L.).

Study Design: Treatments were comprised of transparent polyethylene, black polyethylene and rice straw mulches and a no mulch treatment (control). Treatments were laid-out following a randomized complete block design with three replicates.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Field Laboratory of the Department of Crop Botany, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, during the cropping season extended from November 2009 to February 2010.

Methodology: Measurements included soil and air temperatures, soil water, weed and crop dry weights, plant height, primary branch number per plant, yield components, and grain yield.

Results: The transparent and black polyethylene covers increased soil temperature whereas rice straw decreased it as compared to that at no mulched soil. However, all mulch covers retained significantly higher amount of soil water in the order of black polyethylene>transparent polyethylene>rice straw>no mulch. Weed growth was suppressed by black polyethylene mulch whereas it was promoted under transparent film followed by the no mulched soil. Plant height, number of primary branches per plant, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, seed yield and yield contributing attributes like number of pod per plant and seed per pod, seed weight per plant and individual seed weight were influenced by different mulches. High yield attributes occurred from the crops grown with black or transparent polyethylene mulches whereas lowest yields occurred from the crops grown with rice straw mulch or control. The highest seed yield was obtained from the crops grown with black (5.66 t/ha) or transparent polyethylene covers (5.54 t/ha), and the lowest occurred with rice straw (4.38 t/ha) or with no mulch (4.26 t/ha).

Conclusion: Black or transparent polyethylene sheet can be used as an effective mulching material for the better yield of pea crop under the existing agro-climatic conditions of Bangladesh.