Effects of Different Polyethylene Mulch Colors on Greenhouse Cucumber Cultivation

In this study, effects of blue and black polyethylene mulches usedtogether with drip irrigation on yield of Yağmur cucumber cultivarwere investigated under greenhouse conditions and mulchingtreatments were compared with unmulched drip irrigationtreatments. Experiments were conducted in a polycarbonategreenhouse in Kayseri province of Turkey in 2019. Throughout thegrowing season, 655 mm irrigation water was applied in drip+mulchtreatments and 776 mm in unmulched drip irrigation treatments.Although 16% less water was applied in drip+mulch treatments, 37%more yield was obtained from drip+blue mulch treatments and 34%more from drip+black mulch treatments. The highest cucumberyields per decare (12296.7 and 11783.6 kg) were respectivelyobtained from drip+blue mulch and drip+black mulch treatmentsand the lowest (7771 kg) from unmulched drip irrigation treatments.The highest weed dry biomass (88.42 g m-2) was obtained fromunmulched drip irrigation treatments. While the effects of mulchingtreatments on weed biomass were found to be significant ascompared to unmulched treatments, blue and black mulches werenot significantly different.