Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Volume LIX
Written by Milena YORDANOVA, Nina GERASIMOVA
The aim of the paper was to present the influence of different types of organic mulch on soil temperature during thecultivation of pepper. The experimental work was carried out in 2012-2013in the experimental field on University ofForestry – Sofia, with pepper cv. 'Sofiiskakapia’. For the purpose of the study were used different available materialsasorganic mulches, which were waste products from organic agriculture:spent mushroom compost (SMC),barley straw(BS), grass windrow (GW), weeds. Mulched plots were compared with two control variants – hoed control plots, (HC)and non-hoed control plots (NHC).The mulching materials were spread manually in a 5-6 cm thick layer, afterstrengthen the seedlings of pepper. The soil temperature was recorded in 7 days, at a depth of 0, 5, 10 and 15 cm, bycalculating the average daily temperature, from mulching to harvesting of production. Mulching materials affect soiltemperature. Least variation in soil temperature was recorded at a mulch of straw with average temperature 19-22°Сduring the August, when the air temperature was highest. With the greatest variation in soil temperatures of mulchingplots were two variants: with mulch of weeds and with mulch of grass windrow where the green waste materials, usedfor mulching, started to decompose slowly.
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barley straw mulch
