Vol. 12, Issue 11 (2023)

Author(s):
Neelendra Singh Verma, KV Ramana Rao, Yogesh Rajwade, Deepika Yadav and Ayushi Trivedi

Abstract:
Using plastic mulch in conjunction with drip irrigation enables the successful development of strawberries in hot and humid areas. This study examined the effects of several mulches on strawberry growth and yield at the ICAR Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal. Here, randomized block design with five treatments were taken and each treatment was replicated four times. Of these, three involved the application of mulch in the colours silver, black, and white; the other two involved the use of organic mulch and no mulch at all. Results show that while no mulching treatment resulted in significantly lower values of growth parameters, yield (15.11 t/ha), and BC ratio (1.25), treatments with black colour plastic mulching produced superior values of growth parameters, yield (28.09 t/ha), net returns, and BC ratio (2.28). When selecting strawberry plants for growing in non-intrusive environments, particularly the semi-arid tropics, plastic mulching must be used overall.