Record Details     « New Search       Brief Record Full Record MARC Record     Bibliographic Data Control Number 54964 Date and Time of Latest Transaction 20120503221823.PM General Information 120503s |||||||||b ||00||| Cataloging Source PCARRD Local Call Number SB 337 T96 Main Entry - Personal Name Tulon, Leonora V. Title Statement The effects of mulching and fertilization on the growth and yield of pickling cucumber (Cucumis sativus Linn.) Summary, Etc. The study determined 1) the effect of different mulch and fertilizer on the growth and yield of pickling cucumber, 2) the changes in the physical and chemical properties of the soil as influenced by the treatments and 3) which among the mulching materials used supplemented/enhanced the effect of fertilization on pickling cucumber. The experiment was conducted in a 3 x 4 x 4 split-plot in randomized complete block design. The main plots were the fertilizer materials used, namely: inorganic fertilizer, earthworm castings and control (no fertilization). The subplots were the mulching materials such as, sugarcane bagasse, coconut coir dust and rice straw. Results showed that the number of lateral vines per plant was significantly affected by the different fertilizer and mulch materials used. Fertilization reduced the production of lateral vines. The highest number of 23 vines per plant, of which, was obtained from the unfertilized plants regardless of mulching materials used. Among the mulches, rice straw-mulched plants had the highest production of 28 lateral vines per plant. Rice straw mulch enhanced female flower production particularly so if earthworm castings were used as fertilizer. Regardless of fertilizer material used, rice straw-mulched plants produced significantly the highest percentage of the female flowers compared with the other mulches used. Regardless of mulches on the other hand, earthworm casting application produced significantly the highest percentage of female flowers compared with the rest of the materials used. Fruit deformities were highest among rice straw-mulched unfertilized plants similar with unmulched plants fertilized with inorganic fertilizer. The most number of fruits per plant was obtained from plants fertilized with inorganic fertilizer regardless of mulching materials used. On the other hand, plants mulched with sugarcane bagasse produced the most number of fruits regardless of fertilization. Fruit length and fruit diameter did not vary among the treatments used. This was probably because fruit length and diameter were stable varietal characteristics, which expectedly should not be affected by extraneous factors. The highest yield of 8.9 t/ha was obtained from plants fertilized with inorganic fertilizer and mulched with rice straw. The rest of the treatments had statistically comparable yields ranging from 5.8 to 7.6 t/ha. Soil properties, which included pH, organic matter content, N, P and K content, did not vary significantly with the different fertilizer materials applied. Despite the nonsignificant differences in yield, the numerical differences were reflected in the economic returns. The highest economic returns of P137,519.00/ha was computed from yield returns of plants applied with inorganic fertilizer and mulched with rice straw. Based on the findings, among the parameters measured, only the number of lateral vines production and the sex ratio of flowers produced were affected by the application of different fertilizer materials and mulches. Fruit length and diameter were considered stable characters, which were variety specific and did not respond to changes in such environmental factors as fertilizer or mulching materials applied. The number and weight of fruits per plant did not vary significantly among the treatments. Hence, the yield per hectare computed from the data did not also vary significantly. The numerical differences, however, brought about a substantial difference in the economic returns. Plant producing the most number and heaviest fruit gave the highest computed economic returns. The chosen study site apparently had relatively high fertility level. Hence, effects of fertilizer materials were not distinctly captured. With this, it was suggested that a similar study be conducted in soils with marginal fertility level to really check on the effect of the treatments used in this study without unnecessarily introducing a fertility bias. For sites, which are relatively fertile, at least three continuous cropping should be done to capture the desired effect of fertilizer and mulching materials used, the latter of which might still be decomposing at the termination of the study. Hence, the effect could not be reflected among plant parameters much more so among the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. Since the results in this experiment were obtained during the wet season, it was suggested that a similar experiment be conducted during the dry season to confirm/validate the data Subject Added Entry - Topical Term CUCUMBERS   MULCHING   FERTILIZER APPLICATION   GROWTH   CROP YIELD           Physical Location           Digital Copy Not Available          Add to Book Cart  |   Download MARC