Effects of Mulching on Early-Spring Green Asparagus Yield and Quality under Cultivation in Plastic Tunnels

Abstract

Mulching significantly increases the crop yield and quality by positively affecting the physical features of the soil. The effect of multiple mulching treatments on soil temperature, yield, and nutrient composition of green asparagus grown in a plastic tunnel was assessed. Two mulch materials: transparent plastic film (PF) and rice husk (RH), were applied and compared with non-mulching treatment (CK). The soil temperatures at the soil surface and 10 cm below it were generally higher in the PF mulch than in the CK during the spring. PF mulch accelerated early spear emergence and growth, which led to harvesting 16 days earlier than in the CK. Under the PF mulch, the early yield of spears increased by 26.6% from January to the end of March, and the annual gross income by 14.8% because of the higher price resulting from the significantly higher marketable spear length and diameter; however, they were reduced in the RH mulch. Most nutrient compositions, such as soluble sugar, ascorbic acid, rutin, flavonoid content, and total antioxidant activity, were significantly increased in the PF mulch treatment. PF mulch might benefit green asparagus production during early spring because of its ability to promote early spear emergence and growth.

Asparagus breeding: Future research needs for sustainable production

“…An annual production system requires cultivars that are fast-growing, produce a few large bud clusters and buds, and manufacture and store large amounts of carbohydrates in a short 1-year period. In addition, the “whole harvest” system may function more effectively if plant growth in the first year can be enhanced by using plastic mulches ( Frenz and Munz, 1968 ; Makus and Gonzalez, 1991 ; Jakše and Marši´c, 2005 ), low or high tunnels ( Dyduch et al., 2014 ; Chen et al., 2022 ), or by changes in plant populations ( Takatori et al., 1975 ; Bussell et al., 1997 ). Ideally, asparagus breeding improvements are needed for the optimization of production in this short production-cycled system.…”

Yield and Quality Traits of Tomato ‘San Marzano’ Type as Affected by Photo-Selective Low-Density Polyethylene Mulching

“…It is also reported that mulching plays a role in suppressing weed development [10][11][12] and generally improves pest management, i.e., deflecting or repelling insect pests [2]. Mulching also strongly impacts plant response, increasing yield [13][14][15] and influencing final products' marketable quality and nutritional composition [6,[16][17][18][19]. Overall, it makes production processes more sustainable [4,20] and has a crucial role in both conservation and organic agriculture [1,21].…”

“…Mulching is becoming increasingly important in modern agriculture, although much work has recently been conducted to test new mulching materials, both organic and inorganic [1,4,17,22,23]. Plastic films are still the most preferred technique for the most important commercial crops worldwide (vegetables, cereals, and industrials) due to their wide availability and very low cost [2,3,7,19,23,24].…”

Dry Direct-Seeded Rice Yield and Water Use Efficiency as Affected by Biodegradable Film Mulching in the Northeastern Region of China

“…Mulching with plastic film (PM) has become pivotal in food production, especially in regions with semi-arid climates [1]. The main advantages of PM lie in its ability to retain soil moisture and elevate soil temperature, countering the adverse effects of drought and cold on crop outputs.…”