Effect of Plastic Mulch and non Mulch on Soil Temperature and Cabbage Head under Drip and Traditional Irrigation

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) were grown on polyethylene and non-polyethylene mulch films with drip and furrow irrigation to evaluate its effect on weed, soil temperature and crop yield. During the course study the crop was grown in sandy loam soil of semi-arid tropics of Raichur, Karnataka. It was observed that the mulch increases the soil temperature by 12.32% in soil surface and 27.33% at 10 cm depth in afternoon time and 4% in soil surface and 46.25% at 10 cm depth in the evening time in comparison to bare soil. The increase in soil temperature leads to early head initiation and early maturation of cabbage heads. After 82 days of transplanting 68.1% of the cabbage head matured in mulched plot out of total 93% of the matured head while in without mulched plot only 51.7% head matured out of total 89.42% of the matured head. Mulching increased marketable yield relative to bare soil as treatment mulch with drip irrigation at 100% evapotranspiration was recorded the maximum yield (92.95 t ha⁻¹) and minimum yield was noticed in without mulched with furrow irrigation treatment (50.64 t ha⁻¹).