Effect of Mulch on Soil Moisture, Temperature, Weed Infestation and Winter Season Lac Yield of Ber (Ziziphus mauntiana) under Rainfed Condition

摘要

Lac cultivation on ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) is a profitable option of agriculture for the farmers of Jharkhand. Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal. Water management has been established to be an important factor for quality broodlac production. An experiment was conducted during 2010-2013 to study the impact of mulching with two polyethylene mulches, viz. black and clear transparent and three in form of grass mulch, soil mulch and lac mud for conservation of soil moisture, soil temperature, weed suppression and lac yield of ber (Ziziphus mauritiana),' comparison to control (no mulch application), comprising four replications. The soil moisture conservation was higher in black polyethylene followed by clear transparent polyethyleneand grass mulch. Transparent and black polyethylene greatly increased soil temperature, with the transparent variety giving the highest temperatures and grass mulch, the lowest. Mean soil tern-perature under grass mulch was lower by 1.3,1.4 and 1.2" C compared to clear polyethylene mulch in 2011, 2012 and 2013. respectively. The maximum reduction in weed population was observed in black polyethylene and the lac production was more under mulchtreatments in general, though not significantly, barring the year 2011 -12 under rainfed condition.