Physical Properties of an Ultisol under Plastic Film and No-Mulches and Their Effect on the Yield of Maize

Film mulching is an important agricultural practices used to improve crop productivity. Field experiments were conducted using maize (Zea mays L. ) to determine the effect of film mulching on soil physical properties and maize yield in 2006 and 2007 cropping seasons. The experiment was a randomized complete black design (RCBD) with four film treatments viz. Black film (BM), white film (WM), Black / white film (BWM) and no-treatment (NM). Seedling from three mulching treatments emerged 2days earlier than those from non-mulched treatments. Film mulching significantly (P <0.05) increased soil temperature (taken at different times) and water retention relative to the un-mulched treatments. Results of the study show bulk density decrease of 9% (BWM), 4% (WM) and 17% (BM) at 45 DAP in the first season and 4% (BM), 1% (BWM) and 6% (WM) at 90 DAP in the second season compared to the un-mulched treatment. Yield increase of 55-78% (first season) and 108-142% (second season) were observed in film mulch treatment relative to the control. Film mulch can be used to increase crop production to meet the food need of the increasing human population.