EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT MULCHING TECHNIQUES ON SUGAR BEET PERFORMANCE UNDER SEMI-ARID SUBTROPICAL CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

Evaporation from soil surface is an important component of the water balance in irrigated agriculture. Mulching as an effective technique not only decreases soil moisture evaporation but can also act as a useful tool to suppress weed growth and thus create favorable environment for plants growth. In this study, the effects of different types of mulches on sugar beet performance (root yield, sugar content, sugar yield and water use efficiency) were investigated for two consecutive years in the famous Peshawar valley of Indus Basin of Pakistan. It is evident from the results that the application of surface mulches significantly enhanced all the yield components and water use efficiency by improving soil moisture status over no mulch treatment. Similarly, use of black polyethylene film mulch was found better compared to straw mulch. Overall, mulch treatments produced 11.96 to 19.45% higher root yield, 14.33 to 22.68% higher sugar yield, 2.35 to 3.78% higher sugar content, 17.68 to 34.97% higher root irrigation water use efficiency, 20.38 to 37.78% higher sugar irrigation water use efficiency, 17.07 to 30.68% higher root crop water use efficiency, and 19.57 to 33.53% higher sugar crop water use efficiency, respectively, when compared with No-Mulch treatment. The study thus revealed that the use of mulches has the potential to improve the land and water productivity of sugar beet in water limited areas.