Study on the efficacy of some bio resources as mulch for soil moisture conservation and yield of rain fed groundnut (Arachis hypogaea)

Abstract

A two-year field experiment was conducted to study the efficacy of some mulching materials for soil moisture conservation and yield of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) in summer under rainfed conditions. The mulches used were water hyacinth (WH), rice straw (RS), banana leaves covered with grass (BL), jute stick (JS) and white polythene sheet (PS). The groundnut cultivar AK-12-24 was sown by flat and ridge planting methods. The WH mulch conserved more soil moisture than the other mulches. The soil temperature at the root zone depth was also reduced with the use of WH mulch. The mulches used and the planting methods did not significantly affect the number of leaves and branches per plant. The mulches WH and RS manifested higher kernel yields of 0.67 and 0.61 t ha^− 1 respectively. The soil moisture content with ridge planting method was 8.4%, significantly higher than the flat planting method (7.3%). Soil temperature with flat (33.7°C) and ridge (33.2°C) planting method were statistically similar. The ridge method of planting produced higher kernel yield of groundnut (0.57 t ha^− 1) than flat planting (0.42 t ha^− 1).

Keywords:

• Mulching
• soil moisture
• soil temperature
• yield
• groundnut