Mulching is the process of covering soil around plants with organic or synthetic materials. It protects the soil from drying, prevents erosion, and suppresses weeds. There are two main types of mulch - organic materials like straw or grass clippings, and synthetic materials like plastic sheets. Organic mulches improve soil health over time as they decompose, while synthetic mulches help control weeds and soil temperature. Proper mulching benefits plants by retaining moisture and nutrients in the soil.

1. TOPIC MULCHING
Presented by Arun kumar

2. Content
 Introduction
 Definition
 What do mulch do?
 Types of mulching
 Steps of mulching
 Mertis and dmertis of mulching
 Counclusion

3. Introduction
 the quality of food we eat , water we drink and air breathe-
in fact the well being of all plants and animals life-
determined by the quality of topsoil.
 The earth’s crucial thin layer of soil I.e topsoil must be
protected, maintained &nourished.
 The restoration of soil health and addition of plant nutrients
to soil by done by mulching.

4. Definition
Mulching is the process of covering of soil around the plants
with an organic or synthetic material to create congienal
condition of the plant growth, development and efficient
production.
The term mulch was first coined by
waggoner in 1960.
The word mulch was probably derived from the German
word “molsh”which means soft to decay it has been refered to
the gardener was use straw of leaves, as a soil cover, it is
known as sheet composting.

5. What do mulch do?
 Mulch inslate and protects soil from drying &hard baking
effects caused by evaporation of water from soil.
 It breaks the force of rain & irrigation water, there by
prevending soil compaction.
 It prevent splashing of mud &certain plant diseases organisms
onto plants during or overhead irrigation.
 The mulch covering excludes light, which prevents
germination of weed seeds. so, fewer weeds provides less
competition for using available moisture &nutrients.

6. Types of mulching
mulching is mainly two types.
Organic mulching Synthetic mulching

7. Organic mulching
 The organic material such as crop residues farm yard manure &
products of timber industry when used for mulching are known as
organic mulches.
 They do not suppress weeds reduce, crusting, and preserve
moisture, but gradual decomposition adds organic matter to the
soil.
 Organic mulches helps nutrients reduces plant root. They also
nuture benefical bacteria, fungi, insects and worms.
 They do not create any post utilization Disposal problems but their
availability an issue.
Organic Mulches
1. Grass
2. Paddy straw
3. Saw dust
4. Sugarcane Trash

8. Grass mulching
 Grass has low C.N. ratio.
 Later on, grass release nitrogen in the crops.
 This nitrogen in promoting photosynthesis and general
plant health.

9. Paddy straw mulching
 Paddy straw has an unique property of not absorbing water,
so water is easily available to plant.
 It introduces weeds as well as creats an environment for
pests like slugs and rodents.
 It has the longest life spam among all the organic mulches.

10. Saw dust mulching
 Saw dust is small granuar chip wood that is obtained as the
finished products in the saw mills.
 It has high cn ratio. It requires nitrogen from the soil for
decomposition, how ever, it retains the moisture for longer
periods.
 It is easily to apply and in expensive. But it should be used in
well rotten state for better result.

11. Sugarcane trash mulching
 After removal of juice from the sugarcane, the residue ie
sugarcane trash is used for mulching.
 It helps to ride over the drought.
 It counsume moisture and reduces weed growth this types of
mulching should be avoided in areas where the is incidence
of termites.

12. Synthetic mulches
 The In-organic material such as plastic films when used for mulching, are
known as synthetic mulches or In-organic mulches.
 Natural degradation of organic mulches necessitates the application of
synthetic mulches. So they are also known as Non-degradable mulches.
 Synthetic mulches are available in different colors as well as in different
thickness they should be removed and disposed off at the end of growing
season.
 They are mulch expensive as compared to organc mulches.
Synthetic mulches
White plastic mulch
Black plastic mulch
Transparent plastic mulch
Degradable mulch
Selective permeable mulch
Photo Selective plastic mulch

13. White plastic mulch
 It reflects more light to the plant as compared to black mulch.
 It is good for establishing crops under hot summer condition.
 It has little effect on soil temperature. It keeps soil temperature
down.
 Most important, it repels some insects.

14. Black plastic mulch
 Black plastic mulch is the most pre dominating colored mulch used in
plant production and it is acts as an opaque black bady absober and
radiotor.
 It absorbs most uv, visible and infraed Wavelength of incoming solar
radiation. It does not allow sunlight to pass through the soil. It
retrades weed growth.
 It warms soil during winter season &encourage plant growth.

15. Transparent plastic mulch
 Transparent plastic mulch absorbs little solar radiation but transmitts only
85%to95%of incoming solar radiation.
 It drastically raisers the soil temperature and affect the plant growth adversel
so it is often referred to as mini green house effect.
 It requires herbicides to prevent weed growth under it.
 It is known as clear plastic mulch also.

16. Degradable mulch
 Degradable mulch has ability to degrade after receiving a critical
amount of sunlight.
 When the film recives sufficient sunlight, it becomes brittle and develops
crack and holes.
 Eventually, the film breakdown into small flukes and disappear in the
soil.
 This mulch may be bio degradable or photo degradable
1. bio-degradable mulch
2. Photo degradable mulch

17. Bio-degradable mulch
 Bio degradable plastic are made with starches from plants
such as corn wheat and potato.
 They are broken by microbes.
 Bio degradable mulch performs just as polythelene film
works on tomato and peper crops
 It can simply be plough into the ground after harvest.

18. Photo degradable mulch
Photo degradable mulch films has the same quality as other
black or clean plastic film, but is formulated to breakdown after
a certain number of days of erposure to sunlight

19. Selective permeable mulch
 It is known as refective or colored plastic mulch .
 It allows only certain wave length of light to pass through the
mulch and warm the soil.
 It discharge weed growth.
 Further more yellow plastic mulch repel whitefly which
speeead leaf curl in solaceous family

20. Photo selective plastic mulch
 Also known as infre red transmitting (IRF) mulch.
 It transmits high proportion of solar infra red radiation.
 It warms the soil more than black plastic, but soil less than
clear plastic. It is effective in reducing weed growth.
 Crops grown on the IRF mulch becomes redy to harvest with
black plastic mulch.

21. Comparison between organic &In-organic
mulches

22. Steps of mulching
Organic mulching
 Locate the area you want to be mulched.
 Trim the mulching area.
 Prepare the proper seed bed.
 Get your tool ready
 Get your require material ready for organic mulching.
 Spread the mulch
In-organic mulching
 Locate the area you want to be mulched.
 Trim the mulching area.
 Prepare the seed bed.
 Sizing the film.
 Cutting of the film
 Cleaning &watering before fixing the film
 Fixing the film

23. Mertis and demerits of mulching
 Mertis
 Reduces evaporation
 Reduces weed growth
 Reduces soil compaction
 Mulches management strategies
 Increse in plant growth
 Earier harvest
 Frost protection
 Increse the soil temperature
 Cleaner vegetables produces
Demerits
 Greater inital cost
 Removal and disposal
 Labor intensive
 Sptead of the diseases
 Increse crop weed
competition

24. Conclusion
 It is the essential to find ways to increase the yield and lessen
the cost of production
 Mulching is thus, one of the most important cultural
practices which increase growth, yield and quality of fruits
and vegetables crops.
 Due to multiple benefical effects by all types of mulches
including organic and synthetic mulching becomes an
ineviable in agriculture production.