THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRAW MULCHES ON WEED-CONTROL IN VEGETABLES CULTIVATION

The experiment was carried out in 2010-2012. The effect of different kinds of straw and its dose applied to soil mulching on the amount and fresh mass of weeds and yield level of broccoli and tomato was investigated. The type of straw mulch applied to the soil mulching influenced number and fresh mass of weeds. This effect could be the result of the properties of the mulch (colour, structure, etc.) or the allelopathic effect on the germination and growth of individual weed species. The most efficient for limiting infestation was mulch from buckwheat and rye straw. Soil mulching, regardless of its kind, causes a decrease in the number and mass of weeds at the beginning of growing period of vegetables. The application of straw at a dose of 20 t.ha(-1) had higher weed-suppressing effect than at a dose of 10 t.ha(-1). When assessing the infestation before harvest the influence of straw mulch was lower but still significant. The application in higher dose of rye and buckwheat straw in broccoli, corn and rape in tomato cultivation reduced a number of weeds compared to dose of 10 t.ha(-1). The better yielding effect in both vegetable species had soil mulching with straw at a dose of 10 t.ha(-1).