Effect of Different Types of Mulches on Yield of Pumpkin in Salt Affected Soil

Abstract

For reducing soil salinity and obtaining a sustainable yield, a low-cost and farmer-friendly method is required for pumpkin, a well-liked vegetable. Accordingly, a field experiment was carried out in Salinity Management and Research Center, Soil Resource Development Institute, Batiaghata, Khulna during Kharif-1 season of 2021 to investigate the effect of different types of mulches on soil salinity and yield of pumpkin. The experiment includes three treatments viz. no mulch (control), straw mulch and mulching paper. The experiment was carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications. Soil salinity was recorded at 30 days intervals. All mulching materials effectively reduced the salt accumulation in the root zone. After three months of seed sowing, the highest soil salinity (11.32 dS/m) and lowest soil salinity (6.24 dS/m) were found at no mulch (control) and mulching paper treatment respectively in the month of May. Mulching treatments markedly increased the growth and yield attributes of pumpkins. The highest value of three growth parameters i.e., fruit length (26.92 cm), fruit diameter (94.09 cm) and fruit size (2037 cm2) was found on mulching paper as compared to control. Again, the highest flesh thickness (3.94 cm), fruit weight (4.73 kg) and yield (31.18 t/ha) were recorded at mulching paper treatment whereas the lowest yield (16.68 t/ha) was found at no mulch (control). The results revealed that the use of mulching paper decreased salinity and also increased the yield of pumpkin in saline soil. These findings suggest that the application of mulching paper not only reduces soil salinity but also increases the yield of pumpkins.