Impact of Mulching and Its Residues on Growth, Yield and Economic Performance of Selected Summer and Winter Vegetables

Abstract

Two different field experiments were carried out to investigate the impact of mulching and its residues on growth, yield and economic performance of selected summer and winter vegetables at the Germplasm Centre of Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna during June 2015 to May 2016. Experiments were conducted on three summer vegetables viz. Gima Kalmi, Okra and Indian Spinach in combination with four different mulching viz. control (no mulch), Rice straw, Water hyacinth, Duck weed and three winter vegetables viz. Tomato, Brinjal and Knol-khol in combination with residues of those mulching. Both experiments were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Data were collected on parameters like plant height, number of leaves plant⁻¹, length of largest leaves, width of largest leaves, number of branch plant⁻¹, diameter of plant and yield. Different mulching and mulching residue had significant influence on yield and yield contributing characters of different vegetables. In experiment-I, maximum yield of Gima Kalmi (9.70 ton ha⁻¹), Okra (7.20 ton ha⁻¹) and Indian spinach (15.30 ton ha⁻¹) were obtained from Rice straw, Duck weed and Water hyacinth mulching treatments, respectively. Again, in experiment-II, maximum yield of Tomato (48.32 ton ha⁻¹), Brinjal (22.1 ton ha⁻¹) and Knol-khol (19.36 ton ha⁻¹) were obtained from Water hyacinth residue treatment. In experiment-I, the most economically beneficial vegetable-mulching combination was Gima Kalmi with Rice straw mulching. In case of experiment-II, the most economically beneficial vegetable-mulching residue combination was Tomato with Water hyacinth residue.