Determining the Effects of Different Mulch Materials on Soil Temperature In Semiarid Region Igdir, Türkiye

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Abstract In order to reduce productivity losses caused by global warming in agricultural production and to improve soil quality and soil health or sustainable use of soil, different conservation soil management practices (no-till, mulching, etc.) are used. The use of mulching has benefical effects on agricultural production. The effects of different mulch materials on soil temperature was investigated in this study in Calcaric Pantofluvic Fluvisol (Loamic, Aric, Densic). For this purpose, temperature sensors (Elitech RC-4) were used to measure soil temperature hourly. The sensors were placed at different depths (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 cm) under three mulches (straw, gravel and black plastic film) and bare soil as control. The results showed that there was no significant difference between gravel, black plastic film mulch and bare soil, while straw mulch was found to have a statistically significant effect on warming. Another finding is that the straw mulch caused the soil warms up slower and cools down faster than other mulch materials. Besides the highest diurnal changes in soil temperature were determined in bare soil and gravel mulch depending on soil depth, while the lowest changes were determined in straw mulch regardless of soil depth and the minimum accumulated soil temperature was noticed in straw mulch for all soil depths.