cantaloupe (cucumis melo var reticulatus) belongs to cucurbitaceae family and is cultivated in various parts of iran. polyethylene mulches have recently been used in vegetable growing, for different purposes. to study the effects of different polythylehe mulches on the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of cantaloupe, an experiment was conducted in kaboutar-abad agricultural research ...

The soil water supply is the main factor that limits dryland crop production in China. In a three-year field experiment at a dryland farming experimental station, we evaluated the effects of various straw mulch practices on soil water storage, grain yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum). Field experiments were conducted with six different mulch combinations (...

Intensive agricultural practices in farming systems in eastern Australia have been identified as a contributor to the poor runoff water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). A field investigation was carried out to measure the off-farm water quality and productivity in a coastal farming system in northeastern Australia. Two vegetable crops (capsicum and zucchini) were grown in summer 2...

Agroforestry can increase the sequestration of carbon (C) in soils of tropical agroecosystems through increased litter and tree pruning inputs. Decomposition of these inputs is a key process in the formation of soil organic matter and in nutrient cycling. Our objectives were to study decay of tree pruning mulch and effects on soil C and N in a shaded coffee agroecosystem in Hawaii. Chipped tree...

The most usual type of petroleum mulch, which has been successfully used to combat desertification in large areain Iran for more than thirty years, is produced by heavy residue petroleum cuts. The petroleum mulch consists of awide range of different heavy hydrocarbons such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are present atlow level in petroleum mulch, where there is contact with wa...