ABSTRACT
Soil variations covered by polyethylene mulch

Aliro Contreras N.1, Patricio Acevedo A.1, Luis Pastor V.1 y Claudio Eyzaguirre V.1
 

In the zone of Temuco, Chile, soil temperature variations were studied, at four depths under three types of mulch: polyethylene (transparent, smoke-gray and opaque-black), both open air and under polyethylene greenhouse. These studies were performed in two different climatic periods. The thermic differences observed in mulches show that thermic levels of soil under smoke-gray polyethylene mulches are slightly higher than those observed under transparent polyethylene. Opaque-black polyethylene tends to a poor heating of soil during hot hours, but preserving heat at night.

Keywords: mulch, greenhouse, soil temperature, polyethylene.
1 Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de La Frontera, Casilla 54-D, Temuco, Chile.