Effect of different mulching materials on growth and phonological parameters of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch)

Introduction

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is one of the most important and widely appreciated soft fruit crops of the world. It belongs to the family Rosaceae and is popularly known as the "queen of fruits" because of its unique aroma, attractive colour, delicious taste and high nutritive value. The fruit is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and organic acids, particularly vitamin C, anthocyanins and flavonoids, which are beneficial for human health. Due to its excellent flavour and nutritional properties, strawberry is consumed both as fresh fruit and in processed forms such as jam, jelly, ice cream, juice, syrup and bakery products. The productivity and quality of strawberry fruits are greatly influenced by environmental conditions, cultivar selection and crop management practices. Among the various cultural practices, mulching plays an important role in successful strawberry cultivation. Mulching refers to covering the soil surface around plants with organic or inorganic materials in order to conserve soil moisture, regulate soil temperature, suppress weed growth and improve soil health. It also helps in reducing evaporation losses, minimizing soil erosion and preventing direct contact of fruits with soil, thereby reducing fruit rot and improving fruit quality. Different mulching materials such as black polyethylene mulch, silver-black plastic mulch, paddy straw, dry grasses and organic residues are commonly used in strawberry cultivation. Plastic mulches are highly effective in controlling weeds and conserving moisture, while organic mulches improve soil structure and microbial activity. The effect of mulching varies depending upon climatic conditions, soil type and cultivar response. Proper mulching practices can significantly enhance vegetative growth, flowering, fruit set, yield and quality attributes of strawberry.

Materials and Methods

The present investigation entitled "Effect of Different Mulching Materials on growth and phonological parameters of Strawberry (Fragaria× ananassa Duch.)" conducted was carried out in a subtropical climatic region at Agriculture Research and Farm Development Centre, Sakatpura, School of Agriculture Science, Vikrant University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh; the experimental field had sandy loam soil with good drainage, and moderate fertility level. The current research was carried out on 10 treatments of different mulching materials, and were replicated in three times, the design was was used for analysis is Randomized Block Design, Data pertaining to various criteria used for treatment evaluation were analyzed statistically to test their significance and analysis of variance for these data. The research trail was carried on strawberry crop for observed the growth and phonological parameters of strawberry, the ten treatments applied in the treatments are T 1 -Control (No Mulch), T 2 -Wheat Straw Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹, T 3 -Paddy Straw Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹, T 4 -Dry Banana Leaf Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹, T 5 -Sawdust Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹, T 6 -Coconut Husk Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹,

Results and Discussion

The present investigation was conducted on flowering behavior, fruit retention, yield and fruit quality of plants. The experimental observation made during the study were analysed statistically in Randomized Block Design (RBD) and the obtained result is presented and discussed in this chapter. Growth, flowering, yield and quality parameters differed significantly between the treatments for most of them. Plant height (cm): The maximum plant height (21.60 cm) was recorded under T₁₀ (White Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge), followed by T₇ (Coconut Husk Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) with 21.20 cm, T₈ (Black Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 20.95 cm, T₄ (Paddy Straw Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) with 20.45 cm, and T₉ (Silver-Black Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 20.30 cm. The increased plant height under mulched treatments may be attributed to improved soil moisture conservation, favorable soil temperature, reduced weed competition, and enhanced nutrient uptake, which promoted vigorous vegetative growth. Polyethylene mulches create a favorable microenvironment around the root zone by reducing moisture loss and maintaining optimum soil conditions for root development and plant growth. Conversely, the minimum plant height (16.80 cm) recorded under the control treatment may be due to greater soil moisture depletion and weed competition, which adversely affected plant growth. The findings of the present investigation are in agreement with those of Sharma and Sharma (2003) [15] , who reported increased plant height in strawberry under polyethylene mulch owing to improved soil hydrothermal conditions. Similar results were reported by Singh and Ahmed (2008) [7] , who observed enhanced vegetative growth and greater plant height in mulched strawberry plants compared to without mulched plants. Kumar and Dey (2011) [11] also found that black polyethylene mulch significantly improved plant height by conserving soil moisture and improving nutrient availability. Likewise, Maji et al., (2017) [9] reported that both organic and plastic mulches promoted vegetative growth in strawberry through better soil moisture retention and favorable root-zone conditions. Das et al., (2018) [9] further observed that mulched strawberry plants exhibited superior growth attributes, including plant height, due to improved soil microclimate and efficient utilization of water and nutrients. No. of Leaves/Plant: The maximum number of leaves per plant (23.80) was recorded under T₁₀ (White Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge), followed by T₇ (Coconut Husk Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) with 23.40 leaves, T₈ (Black Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 22.90 leaves, T₄ (Paddy Straw Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) with 22.60 leaves, and T₉ (Silver-Black Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 22.20 leaves per plant. The increased number of leaves under mulched treatments may be attributed to improved soil moisture conservation, better nutrient availability, optimum soil temperature, and reduced weed competition, which enhanced vegetative growth and leaf production. Mulching creates favorable conditions for root development and nutrient absorption, resulting in increased photosynthetic activity and the production of more leaves. In contrast, the minimum number of leaves per plant (16.20) was observed under the control treatment (T₁), which may be due to greater moisture loss and less favorable soil conditions in the absence of mulch.The findings of the present study are in conformity with those reported by Sharma and Sharma (2003) [15] , who observed a significant increase in the number of leaves per plant in strawberry under polyethylene mulch. Similar results were reported by Singh and Ahmed (2008) [7] , who found that mulching improved vegetative growth and leaf production by maintaining favorable soil moisture and temperature conditions. Kumar and Dey (2011) [11] also reported a higher number of leaves in strawberry plants grown under plastic mulch compared to unmulched plants. Likewise, Maji et al., (2017) [9] observed enhanced leaf production in strawberry under both organic and inorganic mulches due to improved soil microclimate and nutrient utilization. Das et al., (2018) [9] further reported that mulched strawberry plants produced a greater number of leaves owing to better moisture retention and reduced weed competition, which promoted vigorous vegetative growth.

The maximum plant spread (32.20 cm) was recorded under T 10 (Transparent Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge), followed by T 7 (Black Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 31.50 cm, T 8 (Silver-Black Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 30.80 cm, T 9 (White Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 30.10 cm and T 4 (Dry Banana Leaf Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) with 29.80 cm. The treatments T 5 (Sawdust Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) and T 6 (Coconut Husk Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) recorded plant spreads of 28.50 cm and 27.20 cm, respectively, whereas T 3 (Paddy Straw Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) and T 2 (Wheat Straw Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) produced plant spreads of 25.40 cm and 24.80 cm, respectively. The minimum plant spread (22.17 cm) was observed under T 1 (Control-No Mulch). The present findings are in close agreement with those of Sharma and Sharma (2003) [15] , who reported a significant increase in plant spread of strawberry under polyethylene mulch due to improved hydrothermal conditions of the soil. Singh and Ahmed (2008) [7] also observed greater plant spread in mulched strawberry plants compared to the unmulched control and attributed this improvement to better moisture conservation and nutrient availability. Similar findings were reported by Kumar and Dey (2011) [11] , who recorded maximum canopy spread under black polyethylene mulch. Maji et al., (2017) [9] found that both plastic and organic mulches enhanced plant spread by improving the soil microenvironment and reducing moisture stress. Das et al., (2018) [9] also reported increased vegetative growth and canopy development in strawberry under mulching treatments. The results are further supported by Rana et al., (2014) [14] , who observed significantly higher plant spread in strawberry under plastic mulch owing to better soil moisture retention and enhanced nutrient uptake. Tripathi et al., (2016) [19] reported that mulching improved vegetative growth parameters, including plant spread, by maintaining favorable soil temperature and reducing weed competition. Similarly, Bana et al., (2012) [6] found that black polyethylene mulch resulted in greater plant spread and vegetative vigor in strawberry compared with organic mulches and the control treatment. Yadav et al., (2018) [20] also reported enhanced plant spread under polyethylene mulch due to improved root growth and efficient utilization of soil moisture and nutrients. No. of Crowns/Plant: The maximum number of crowns per plant (5.40) was recorded under T₁₀ (Transparent Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge), followed by T₇ (Black Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 5.20 crowns, T₄ (Dry Banana Leaf Mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹) and T₈ (Silver-Black Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 5.00 crowns each, and T₉ (White Polyethylene Mulch, 200 Gauge) with 4.80 crowns per plant. The increased crown production under mulched treatments may be attributed to improved soil moisture conservation, favorable soil temperature, enhanced nutrient availability, and reduced weed competition. These conditions promote vigorous vegetative growth and greater accumulation of photosynthates, which support the formation and development of crowns. Polyethylene mulches, in particular, create a favorable microclimate around the root zone, resulting in better root growth and increased crown formation. In contrast, the minimum number of crowns per plant (2.78) was recorded under the control treatment (T₁), which may be due to moisture stress and poor soil conditions in the absence of mulch.The findings of the present investigation are in agreement with those reported by Sharma and Sharma (2003) [15] , who observed a significant increase in crown production in strawberry under polyethylene mulch due to improved soil hydrothermal conditions. Singh and Ahmed (2008) [7] also reported that mulched strawberry plants produced more crowns than unmulched plants owing to better moisture conservation and nutrient uptake. Similar results were obtained by Kumar and Dey (2011) [11] , who found that black polyethylene mulch significantly enhanced vegetative growth and crown formation in strawberry. Maji et al., (2017) [9] reported that both organic and inorganic mulches improved crown production by creating a favorable root-zone environment and reducing moisture stress. Likewise, Das et al., (2018) [9] observed higher numbers of crowns in mulched strawberry plants compared with the control treatment. The present findings are further supported by Rana et al., (2014) [14] , who reported enhanced crown development under plastic mulch due to improved soil moisture retention and nutrient availability. Tripathi et al., (2016) [19] also found that mulching significantly increased crown formation by promoting vegetative growth and improving plant vigor. Similarly, Yadav et al., (2018) [20] reported that polyethylene mulch resulted in a greater number of crowns per plant due to favorable soil temperature and moisture conditions. The results of the present study therefore confirm that mulching plays an important role in improving crown production and overall vegetative growth of strawberry plants. No .The findings of the present investigation are in agreement with those of Albregts and Howard (1978) [5] , who reported that mulching improved vegetative growth and runner production in strawberry by maintaining favorable soil moisture and temperature conditions. Sharma and Sharma (2003) [15] also observed increased runner production under polyethylene mulch owing to improved soil hydrothermal regimes. Similar results were reported by Singh and Ahmed (2008) [7] and Kumar and Dey (2011) [11] , who found that mulching significantly enhanced vegetative growth and runner formation in strawberry plants. Maji et al., (2017) [9] further reported that organic and plastic mulches increased runner production through improved root growth and nutrient uptake. The present results are also supported by Kher et al., (2010) [10] , who reported that black polyethylene mulch significantly increased the number of runners per plant by providing favorable soil moisture and temperature conditions. Rahman et al., (2016) [13] observed greater runner production in mulched strawberry plants compared to unmulched plants and attributed the improvement to enhanced vegetative growth and carbohydrate accumulation. Bana et al., (2012) [6] reported that mulching materials improved strawberry growth and runner development by reducing moisture loss and weed competition. Likewise, Chauhan et al., (2014) [8] found that plastic mulch increased the number of runners per plant due to better soil physical conditions and improved nutrient utilization. Yadav et al., (2018) [20] [10] , who reported earlier flowering in strawberry plants grown under polyethylene mulch due to improved soil temperature and moisture conditions. Similar observations were made by Sharma and Sharma (2003) [15] and Singh and Ahmed (2008) [7] , who found that mulching advanced flowering in strawberry by creating favorable soil hydrothermal conditions. Kumar and Dey (2011) [11] also reported reduced days to flowering under plastic mulch treatments compared with unmulched plants. Likewise, Rahman et al., (2016) [13] observed that mulching significantly hastened flowering in strawberry due to enhanced vegetative growth and improved nutrient uptake. [6] , who reported a significantly higher number of flowers per plant under mulched conditions compared with the control. Similar findings were reported by Maji et al., (2017) [9] and Das et al., (2018) [9] , who observed enhanced flowering in strawberry under both organic and plastic mulches due to improved soil moisture retention and nutrient availability. Yadav et al., (2018) [20] also reported that polyethylene mulch significantly increased flower production by providing favorable growing conditions throughout the crop growth period. The results are further supported by Chauhan et al., (2014) [8] , who observed increased flowering and improved reproductive performance of strawberry plants under mulching treatments.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of the present investigation, it may be concluded that the application of different mulching materials significantly influenced the growth and phenological parameters of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.). Among the different treatments,

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