Agricultural Reviews

  • Chief EditorPradeep K. Sharma

  • Print ISSN 0253-1496

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Agricultural Reviews, volume 31 issue 2 (june 2010) : 145 - 149

EFFECT OF PLASTIC MULCH ON SOIL PROPERTIES AND CROP GROWTH - A REVIEW

M. Lalitha. V. Kasthuri Thilagam, N. Balakrishnan, Mostafa Mansour
1Dept. of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemsitry, Tamil Nadu Agric. Univercity, Coimbatore - 641 003, India.
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Cite article:- Thilagam Kasthuri V. Lalitha. M., Balakrishnan N., Mansour Mostafa (2024). EFFECT OF PLASTIC MULCH ON SOIL PROPERTIES AND CROP GROWTH - A REVIEW. Agricultural Reviews. 31(2): 145 - 149. doi: .
The term plasticulture is defined as the use of plastics in agriculture. The use of plasticulture
in the production of crops helps to mitigate the extreme fluctuations in weather, especially
temperature, rainfall and wind. Indian agriculture is known for its multi-functionalities of providing
employment, livelihood, food, nutritional and ecological securities. So the adoption of modern
technology to overcome natural constraints to successful agriculture with limited water resourcesis
essential In this context, mulching may prove beneficial for crop growth because of complex
change in soil environment through modifying soil temperature, reduction in evaporation, weed
competition, soil compaction and erosion. Plastic mulch is a product used, in a similar fashion
to mulch, to suppress weeds and conserve water in crop production. Under plastic mulch, soil
properties like soil temperature, moisture content, bulk density, aggregate stability and nutrient
availability have been improved. Plant growth and yield also positively influenced by the plastic
mulch due to the modification of soil microclimate.
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