Soil evaporation is an important component of the water balance in irrigated agriculture. Mulching can
be an effective technique to reduce soil evaporation but its efficiency depends on meteorological
conditions and the characteristics of the different mulching materials. The objective of this work was to
assess the effectiveness of inorganic (plastic) and organic (pine bark, vine pruning residues, geotextile,
and wheat straw) mulching materials for soil evaporation control during the energy-limited and
falling-rate evaporation stages. Soil evaporation rates (ER) were quantified through consecutive
weighings of initially wet soils placed in trays in the laboratory and in microlysimeters in the
field. ER
depended on meteorological and experimental conditions, stage of evaporation and type of mulching
material. In the falling-rate stage, ERs decreased linearly (p < 0.001) with decreases in GWC, and for long
drying periods the ERs were low and similar among treatments, implying that soil mulching will be
ineffective for soil evaporation control in low-frequency irrigation systems. In the energy-limited stage,
all mulching materials decreased the ERs in relation to the bare soil, but the plastic, vine residues and pine
bark materials had lower ERs than the rest of mulching materials. These materials will be therefore
recommended for soil evaporation control in high-frequency irrigation systems where the soil surface
remains wet most of the time.
Soil evaporation is an important component of the water balance in irrigated agriculture. Mulching canbe an effective technique to reduce soil evaporation but its efficiency depends on meteorologicalconditions and the characteristics of the different mulching materials. The objective of this work was toassess the effectiveness of inorganic (plastic) and organic (pine bark, vine pruning residues, geotextile,and wheat straw) mulching materials for soil evaporation control during the energy-limited andfalling-rate evaporation stages. Soil evaporation rates (ER) were quantified through consecutiveweighings of initially wet soils placed in trays in the laboratory and in microlysimeters in thefield. ERdepended on meteorological and experimental conditions, stage of evaporation and type of mulchingmaterial. In the falling-rate stage, ERs decreased linearly (p < 0.001) with decreases in GWC, and for longdrying periods the ERs were low and similar among treatments, implying that soil mulching will beineffective for soil evaporation control in low-frequency irrigation systems. In the energy-limited stage,all mulching materials decreased the ERs in relation to the bare soil, but the plastic, vine residues and pinebark materials had lower ERs than the rest of mulching materials. These materials will be thereforerecommended for soil evaporation control in high-frequency irrigation systems where the soil surfaceremains wet most of the time.
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