Management of Organic Mulching in Agriculture for Soil Moisture Conservation and Vegetable Productivity: A Field Evaluation

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Dr Bibhu Santosh Behera

Post Doctoral Researcher

Lincoln University and Mission Manager – Farm Livelihoods

Ministry of Rural Development, Govt of India

Abstract— Soil moisture is the primary constraint on vegetable productivity in rainfed and irrigation-limited systems, and organic mulching offers a low-cost route to conserving it. This study evaluated the management of four organic mulch materials — paddy straw, dry grass clippings, sugarcane trash and farmyard-manure-based compost — against a bare-soil control for their effect on soil moisture, temperature, weed suppression and tomato productivity over two cropping seasons. Straw mulch at 6 t ha⁻¹ retained the highest soil moisture (18.9% v/v versus 12.4% for control) and reduced soil-temperature amplitude by 3.4 °C. Marketable tomato yield rose from 32.6 t ha⁻¹ under bare soil to 46.8 t ha⁻¹ under straw mulch (+43.6%), while irrigation water-use efficiency improved by 41.2% and weed dry weight fell by 71.5%. Mulch amount showed a dose-response up to 6 t ha⁻¹. Organic mulching, properly managed by material and rate, materially improves both water conservation and vegetable yield.

Keywords: organic mulch; soil moisture conservation; water-use efficiency; vegetable productivity; tomato; weed suppression

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