All mulching materials decreased soil evaporation in the energy-limited stage in relation
to the bare soil, but the decreases and their significance varied among the two experiments. In
experiment 1 (soil trays), the average daily soil evaporation rates (ER) were different (p < 0.05)
among all mulching treatments, with highest ER decreases in plastic and pine bark, and lowest
ER decreases in geotextile and vine residues with a 5 cm thickness. In experiment 2
(microlysimeters) where, in contrast with experiment 1, the mulching materials were not in
contact with the wetted soil, the geotextile was more beneficial than the pine bark for soil
evaporation control.