The Suitability of Composted Green Waste as an Organic Mulch: Effects on Soil Moisture Retention and Surface Temperature

Pickering, Jon; Kendle, A.D.; Hadley, P.

doi:10.17660/actahortic.1998.469.34

Cited by 10 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Previous reports about landscape mulches (Ashworth and Harrison 1983;Iles andMontague et al 1998, 2000;Pickering et al 1998;Dosmann 1999) were of research conducted in regions that are more temperate and mesic than the hot desert climate of Phoenix, Arizona. The focus of this research was to determine the effectiveness of organic and inorganic mulches at altering the near surface and belowground microclimates in landscapes characterized by intense radiation and extreme aridity throughout the growing season.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Landscape water conservation is an important consideration affecting mulch use in the southwestern United States (Martin 2001) and landscape mulches can lower soil evaporation rates (Ashworth and Harrison 1983;Litzow and Pellett 1983;Kraus 1998;Pickering et al 1998;Li 2003). Rock and stone fragment mulches were shown to reduce cumulative evaporative soil water loss by as much as 10 mm (0.4 in) after 7 days (van Wesemael et al 1996).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Effect of Landscape Mulches on Desert Landscape Microclimates

Singer¹,

Martin²

2008

AUF

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Effects of three landscape mulches: 1) composted ponderosa pine residue; 2) uncomposted shredded landscape tree trimmings; and 3) screened decomposing granite, were compared over the course of 2 years (2004 to 2005) for their ability to modify air and soil landscape microclimates in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. Temperatures at the surface of the two organic mulches were generally higher during the day and lower at night than at the surface of either decomposing granite or soil without a mulch cover. During nighttime hours, decomposing granite mulch or soil without a mulch cover emitted more long wave radiation than the two organic mulches. Conductive heat transfer through the organic mulches was generally lower than through decomposing granite. Daytime temperatures of soil at 5 and 30 cm (2 and 12 in) depths were generally lower beneath the two organic mulches than under decomposing granite mulch or soil without any landscape mulch cover. Soil covered with organic mulch evaporated less water than soil without mulch. Under desert conditions, the two organic mulches were more effective at moderating heat gain and water loss from soil than decomposing granite mulch because of an increased resistance to heat transfer and evaporation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Effect of Landscape Mulches on Desert Landscape Microclimates

Singer¹,

Martin²

2008

AUF

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“…In moist soils, temperature affects both the rate of germination of sclerotia and the final number germinated (Clarkson et al 2004), although production of apothecia discs cannot occur in the absence of light (Iliescu & Cristea 1994). Conifer mulches have been reported to maintain water content and water distribution in the soil after irrigation (Pickering et al 1998;Lakatos et al 2000), and reduce soil temperature in summer by 2-5°C (Pliszka et al 1997). In this field study, the 0.9°C reduction in average soil temperature by the pine mulch was unlikely to contribute significantly to the reduction in apothecial production by C. camelliae sclerotia, but the reduction in light beneath the mulches could have inhibited carpogenesis.…”

Section: Mulch Leachate Assays Mycelial Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree mulches reduce sclerotial numbers and apothecial production byCiborinia camelliae

Toor

Dench²,

Jaspers

et al. 2005

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science

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which had 90 apothecia/m 2 . By early summer, the mean numbers of viable dormant sclerotia were reduced from 294/m 2 in the untreated control to 147, 95, 75, and 47/m 2 for the commercial mix, kanuka, pine, and gum mulches, respectively. In in vitro trials, mycelial growth from C. camelliae sclerotia placed on potato dextrose agar amended with mulch leachates (50:50 v/v) differed between leaching periods and mulch types. With the 1-day leachates, growth was almost totally inhibited by the commercial-mix leachate, but enhanced by gum and kanuka leachates compared with growth on control plates. Similar results were obtained for 20-day leachates, except that mycelial growth was suppressed with the commercial-mix and pine leachates. Thus, tree mulches offer potential for reducing the incidence of camellia blight by suppressing apothecial production and enhancing sclerotial degradation.Abstract Mulches made from leaf and wood materials of pine (Pinus radiata), gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon), kanuka (Kunzea ericoides), and a commercial mix containing numerous tree species, were evaluated for their ability to reduce viability of sclerotia and to suppress apothecial production in Ciborinia camelliae. The mulches were applied 100 mm thick to soil beneath camellia (Camellia spp.) bushes in late summer, allowing time for the treatments to act on the population of over-wintering sclerotia. In the following spring, the mulches completely suppressed apothecial production by existing sclerotia, compared with the untreated control,

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“…Mulching has been shown to reduce evaporative soil water loss by both moderating soil temperatures, and by providing a physical barrier between the soil surface and the atmosphere (Swanson and Calkins, 1995;Monks et al, 1997;Pickering et al, 1998;Chen et al, 2007). Although there are few restrictions on the kinds of materials that may be used for mulch, it is nevertheless advisable to evaluate the effects of novel mulch before widespread use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Pine Bark Mulch on Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) Water Demand

Hunt

Honeycutt

Yarborough

2010

International Journal of Fruit Science

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Mulching has been reported to moderate soil temperatures, lessen the erosive effects of rain, suppress weeds, and reduce evapotranspiration losses from crops worldwide. Lowbush blueberry ( Vaccinium angustifolium) growers seeking an alternative and/or a complement to supplemental irrigation require accurate crop-specific information on the water conserving benefits of mulch. Twenty-eight weighing lysimeters equipped with soil moisture monitors were used at five sites throughout the Downeast Region of Maine to compare water budgets of lowbush blueberry grown on un-mulched and mulched soils. Despite occurrence of the second wettest growing season in 60 years, April through September mean hourly soil water potential values at all sites indicated significantly (p < 0.001) drier conditions in un-mulched compared with mulched soils. Differences in soil water potential values between un-mulched and mulched soils were much more pronounced during three dry periods, totaling approximately 53 days, than during the 2009 growing season as a whole. Over the course of one 27 day dry-period, soil water potential values of un-mulched soils at two lysimeter stations indicated a need for irrigation more than 60% of the time, compared with 7-10% of the time for mulched soils. Mulching was found to reduce diurnal 390 Lowbush Blueberry Water Demand 391 fluctuations of both soil water potential and volumetric water content. Early morning water deposition was significantly reduced by mulching at nearly all lysimeter stations; however, mulch-associated reductions in peak-hour evapotranspiration losses more than compensated for lower water inputs from dew and fog. During the three major periods of dry conditions, mulch reduced the evapotranspiration rate by an average of 0.045 ± 0.003 cm/day at three crop-rotation fields and 0.039 ± 0.027 cm/day at four prune-rotation fields. The greater variability in evapotranspiration rate reduction found among prune-rotation fields was considered due to differences in pruned shoot emergence from the mulch. These results indicate that mulching represents a viable method for alleviating drought-induced water stress for lowbush blueberry in Maine.

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The Suitability of Composted Green Waste as an Organic Mulch: Effects on Soil Moisture Retention and Surface Temperature

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Effect of Landscape Mulches on Desert Landscape Microclimates

Effect of Landscape Mulches on Desert Landscape Microclimates

Tree mulches reduce sclerotial numbers and apothecial production byCiborinia camelliae

Effect of Pine Bark Mulch on Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) Water Demand

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