Aplicação de mulching para cultivo de alface em ambiente protegido

Abstract

The accumulation of plastic material non-degradable in systems that use mulching as ground cover is an environmental problem, because besides the accumulation of garbage after the harvest in some cases, is the burning of plastic waste, releasing significant amounts of polluting gases atmosphere. One way to minimize the environmental impact of plastic mulch is the use of a biodegradable material. This study aimed to test a biodegradable material as ground cover for the lettuce and compare with commercial plastic mulching. The experiment was established in 2015 and established five treatments: T1 - Biodegradable white film, T2 - film double black face / white non-biodegradable plastic material, T3 - biodegradable black film, T4 - not biodegradable black plastic film and T5 - witnesses (without cover). The experimental design was fully randomized design (CRD). The variables evaluated were: soil temperature in relation to movies, fresh and dry leaves with defects, commercial leaves, stem, root and total mass; number of leaves, leaf area, diameter and stem length; Microbiological quality of lettuce leaves after cycle completion (41 days). The growing conditions were considered suitable for the cultivation of vegetables, and the use of mulching did not significantly increase production. The nonbiodegradable white and black mulching and white biodegradable mulching increased soil temperature, while the black biodegradable mulching had the lowest temperatures. The mulching did not reduce the mesophilic counts of leaves, the mold count and yeast. Biodegradable films were suitable for lettuce production in the evaluated crop system, remaining on the ground with minimal weight change over 41 days of cultivation. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable mulching were similar in the development of lettuce plants, remaining intact during the cultivation period.