Cultivation of Potato - Use of Plastic Mulch and Row Covers on Soil Temperature, Growth, Nutrient Status and Yield; Gardening Guidebook

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Cultivation of potato – use of plastic mulch and row
covers on soil temperature, growth, nutrient status,
and yield
Luz María Ruíz-Machuca
a
, Luis Ibarra-Jiménez
a
, Luis Alonso Valdez-Aguilar
b
, Valentín
Robledo-Torres
b
, Adalberto Benavides-Mendoza
b
& Marcelino Cabrera-De La Fuente
b
a
Departamento de Plásticos en la Agricultura, Centro de Investigación en Química
Aplicada, Saltillo, Coahuila, 25294 México
b
Departamento de Horticultura, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Saltillo,
Coahuila, 25315 México
Published online: 26 Sep 2014.
To cite this article: Luz María Ruíz-Machuca, Luis Ibarra-Jiménez, Luis Alonso Valdez-Aguilar, Valentín Robledo-Torres,
Adalberto Benavides-Mendoza & Marcelino Cabrera-De La Fuente (2014): Cultivation of potato – use of plastic mulch and
row covers on soil temperature, growth, nutrient status, and yield, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil &
Plant Science, DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2014.960888
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09064710.2014.960888
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Cultivation of potato – use of plastic mulch and row covers on
soil temperature, growth, nutrient status, and yield
Luz María Ruíz-Machucaa
, Luis Ibarra-Jiméneza
*, Luis Alonso Valdez-Aguilarb
,
Valentín Robledo-Torresb
, Adalberto Benavides-Mendozab
and Marcelino Cabrera-De La Fuenteb
a
Departamento de Plásticos en la Agricultura, Centro de Investigación en Química Aplicada, Saltillo, Coahuila, 25294
México; b
Departamento de Horticultura, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Saltillo, Coahuila, 25315
México
(Received 15 June 2014; accepted 29 August 2014)
Potato is one of the most important crops in the world because of its high nutritional value; however, traditional
cultivation in bare soil may render low yields and poor quality. Crop production efficiency can be increased by
using plastic mulching and row covers to modify root zone temperature and plant growth, in addition to
reduction in pest damage and enhance production in cultivated plants. However, there is little information
demonstrating the effect of row covers in combination with plastic mulch on potato. The aim of this study was to
assess the change in root zone temperature and its effect on growth, leaf nutrient, and yield of potato using plastic
mulch of different colors, in combination with row covers. Seed of cultivar Mondial was planted in May 2012. The
study included four plastic films: black, white/black, silver/black, aluminum/black, and a control with bare soil,
which were evaluated alone and in combination with row covers removed at 30 days after sowing in a split-plot
design. Higher yields were obtained when no row cover (43.2 t ha−1
) and the white/black film (42.2 t ha−1
) were
used. Leaf nitrogen, sulfur, and manganese concentration were higher in plants when row cover was used; in
contrast, no–row cover plants were higher in Fe and Zn. Mulched plants were higher in Mn concentration than
control plants. There was a quadratic relationship between mean soil temperature and total yield (R2
= 0.94), and
between plant biomass and total yield (R2
= 0.98), between leaf area with total yield (R2
= 0.98).
Keywords: leaf area; soil temperature; plasticulture; Solanum tuberosum; total yield
Introduction
Potato, considered by some scientists as “the food of
the future,” is grown in more than 100 countries and
is an integral part of the global food system. It is the
world’s number one non-grain food commodity,
reaching a record production of 320 million tons in
2007. Consumption of potato has expanded strongly
in developing countries and accounts for more than a
half of the foods harvested in the world (FAO 2008).
Crop production efficiency and productivity can
be increased by mulching the soil with plastic films
as it improves soil conditions for plant growth,
including the effect on root zone temperature, weed
control, reduction in soil compaction and leaching of
fertilizers, allowing a better assimilation of nutrients
(Lamont 2005; Ibarra-Jiménez et al. 2008). Mulch-
ing of soils with black plastic combined with drip
irrigation (Kumari 2012) were associated with a
decrease in evaporation of water from soil and plant
transpiration, increase in water use efficiency, higher
formation of stolons, higher leaf area, and higher
yield in potato.
Row covers protect plants from high radiation
without affecting soil moisture (Lamont 2010),
reduce the incidence of pests, reduce the use of
insecticides (Ibarra et al. 2002; Qureshi et al. 2007),
and render earlier and higher yield. The loss of
radiant and convective heat is reduced under the
*Corresponding author. Email: luis.ibarra@ciqa.edu.mx
This article was originally published with errors. This version has been amended. Please see Corrigendum (DOI: http://dx.doi.
org/10.1080/09064710.2014.976390)
Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 2014
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09064710.2014.960888
© 2014 Taylor & Francis
Downloadedby[LuisIbarra-Jiménez]at19:1222October2014

row covers, while soil temperature is increased.
Increased growth and yield are attributed to the
higher air temperature under the row cover; however,
in case they are not removed in time, row covers could
have negative effects on plants (Ibarra et al. 2000).
However, in México the combined use of row covers
and plastic mulching for potato cultivation has been
little studied. However, some research has demon-
strated increased yields in cucumber and melon
(Ibarra-Jiménez et al. 2004). In Mexico, potato is
planted in bare soils with different irrigation systems,
with widely contrasting yields; thus, research is
required to define new technologies to increase crop
production. This study aims to increase the yield of
potato by using plastic mulch and row covers com-
bined with drip irrigation. Furthermore, this study
will document changes in soil temperature, plant
growth, leaf nutrient content, and yield of potato
and the effects of using different colored plastic mulch
either alone or combined with row cover.
Materials and methods
Site and experimental set-up
The experiment was carried out in the region of
Perote, Veracruz, México (19°34′ North Latitude,
97°15′ West Longitude, 2600 m above sea level). Soil
preparation was performed mechanically while beds
(1.80 m between beds and a length of 7 m), drip
irrigation tape (emitters spaced at 0.305 m and
0.98 L h−1
flow), and plastic mulch were formed or
made manually. The experiment was set up in a split-
plot design where the large plot contained two levels:
rows covered compared to not covered, and the small
plots contained the colored plastic mulch (black,
white/black, aluminum/black, and bare soil). Plastics
films were 1.2 m wide and 0.03 mm thick (Chester-
brook, PA, USA). Plastic films were installed on the
soil surface with a display face of 0.80 m. Irrigation
was performed when tensiometer (Riverside, Irrom-
eter, CA, USA) readings were at 30 centibars. Manual
planting took place on 14 May 2012 with two rows of
plants per bed (0.20 m spacing between plants at a soil
depth of 10 cm). Fertilization was at a rate of (N–P–K)
226–120–395 kg ha−1
applied through the drip irriga-
tion system during the growing season.
Soil temperature
During the first 30 days after seeding (DAS), soil
temperature at a depth of 0.10 m was measured with
type T thermocouples (copper/constantan) (0.6 mm
diameter) placed in the center of the bed and connected
to a multiplexer (AM25T; Campbell Scientific, Logan,
UT, USA) and to a data logger (CR850; Campbell
Scientific). The data logger was programmed to record
maximum, minimum, and mean temperatures every
10 seconds and store them on an hourly and daily
average basis.
Leaf area
The leaves and stems of each plant were harvested
at 30, 45, 60, and 75 DAS, and leaf area was
measured (LI-3100; LI-COR, Inc. Lincoln, NE,
USA). Leaves and stems were dried in an oven at
70°C for 72 hours and weighed to determine total
plant dry matter.
Leaf mineral analysis
Recently, fully expanded leaves were collected at
75 DAS, washed, and placed in a drying oven at
70°C for 72 hours. Dry leaf tissues were ground to
pass a 40-mesh sieve and digested in a 2:1 mixture
of H2SO4:HClO4 and 2 mL of 30% H2O2. The
digested samples were analyzed for N with micro-
Kjeldahl procedure, whereas K, P, S, Mg, Cu, Fe,
Mn, and Zn were analyzed with an inductively
coupled plasma emission spectrometer (ICP-AES,
model Liberty; VARIAN, Santa Clara, CA, USA).
Yield
Harvest and cleaning of tubers was performed manu-
ally at 80 DAS, and 20 days later, tubers were classified
on a weight basis in: first, second, third, and residual
quality. First-quality weighed approximately 380 g,
whereas the second quality weighed 270 g, the third
quality weighed 200 g, and the residual quality (resid-
ual and/or deformed or cracked tubers) weighed 100 g.
Statistical analysis
Data were analyzed using PROC GLM with SAS 9.2
(SAS Institute, Cary, NC), and means were sepa-
rated according to Duncan’s multiple range test (p ≤
0.05). Analysis of linear and quadratic regression was
performed in order to analyze the relationship
between variables.
Results and discussion
Soil average maximum temperature was higher when
row cover was used compared to no–row cover soils;
however, no effect was detected on minimum and
mean soil temperature (Table 1). In several species,
okra (Brown & Channell-Butcher 2000), muskme-
lon (Ibarra et al. 2001), celery (Jenni et al. 2006),
cucumber (Wolfe et al. 1989), and bell pepper
(Jolliffe & Gaye 1995), the use of row cover leads
2 L.M. Ruíz-Machuca et al.

to earlier production and higher yields. The increase
in soil temperature is due to the reduction in the loss
of radiant and convective heat under the covers).
Maximum temperature achieved in soils mulched
with aluminum film and in the control treatment
was lower than that of the other colors; nonetheless,
the minimum and mean soil temperatures under the
plastic mulches outperformed that of the control
(Table 1). The positive effect of plastic mulch on
soil temperature directly impacts the microclimate
around the plant and modifies the balance between
the absorbed and reflected radiation transmitted
through the plastic mulch. The color of the plastic
largely determines the behavior of radiant energy
and its influence on the microclimate, which in
turns affect soil temperature (Tarara 2000; Lamont
2005). In general, plastic mulch increased soil
temperature in relation to bare soil, being greater
for plastics of darker colors in contrast to colors with
high reflectance, such as white, silver, and alumi-
num (Rangarajan & Ingall 2001).
Using row covers in combination with plastic
mulching of soils on potato affected leaf area (Table 2).
In the four sampling dates, plants without row cover
exceeded (p ≤ 0.01) the leaf area of covered plants by
47.5%. An enhancing effect of plastic mulch and row
covers in cucurbits, such as watermelon (Arancibia &
Motsenbocker 2008) and melons (Jenni et al. 1996),
has been reported. In contrast to the results observed
in the present study, higher leaf area and yields were
reported for both species compared to plants with
plastic mulch without row cover (Soltani et al. 1995;
Ibarra-Jiménez et al. 2004).
The plants grown in mulched soils showed a higher
leaf area compared to control plants in bare soil. On
average, plants grown in mulched soils outperformed
the control by 49.0% higher leaf area. Several studies
(Andino & Motsenbocker 2004; Díaz-Pérez 2010;
Kumari 2012) reported a positive effect of plastic
mulch treatments in relation to the production
of leaf area, dry matter, and consequently higher
yields in watermelon (Andino & Motsenbocker
2004), bell pepper (Díaz-Pérez 2010), and potato
(Kumari 2012).
The use of row covers caused plants to have a lower
total dry weight (Table 3); except at 30 DAS, the
Table 1. Maximum, minimum, and mean temperature of
soils mulched with colored plastic films and row covers
removed at 30 days after seeding (DAS).
Temperature (°C)
Maximum Minimum Mean
Row cover
No row cover 22.9 a 11.6 a 16.6 a
Row cover 26.3 b 13.0 a 18.6 a
Mulch color
Black 27.3 a 13.5 a 19.4 a
White/black 26.1 a 12.5 a 18.3 ab
Silver/white 26.5 a 12.5 a 18.4 ab
Aluminum 22.2 b 12.6 a 16.8 b
Bare soil 20.7 b 10.3 b 15.0 c
p
Row covers (RC) 0.062 0.356 0.233
Mulch (M) 0.001 0.009 0.001
RC × M 0.071 0.694 0.255
Note: Means within each column followed by the same letter are
not significantly different according to Duncan’s test (p ≤ 0.05).
Table 2. Leaf area of potato plants grown in soils mulched
with colored plastic films and row covers removed at
30 days after seeding (DAS).
Leaf area (cm2
plant‒1
)
30 DAS 45 DAS 60 DAS 75 DAS Mean
Row cover
No row
cover
332 a 4595 a 8603 a 13,045 a 6644 a
Row cover 248 b 2629 b 6458 b 8696 b 4508 b
Mulch
Black 327 a 3695 bc 7692 ab 12,211 a 5981 a
White/black 317 a 4633 a 8651 a 11,784 a 6346 a
Silver/white 294 a 4071 ab 8038 ab 12,865 a 6317 a
Aluminum 300 a 3313 c 7435 b 9865 b 5228 b
Bare soil 212 b 2349 d 5835 c 7629 c 4006 c
p
Row covers
(RC)
0.001 0.004 0.001 0.001 0.005
Mulch (M) 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001
RC × M 0.016 0.147 0.714 0.016 0.003
Table 3. Plant dry weight of potato plants as affected
by colored plastic mulches and row covers removed at
30 days after seeding (DAS).
Plant dry weight (g plant‒1
)
30 DAS 45 DAS 60 DAS 75 DAS Mean
Row cover
No row
cover
2.83 a 56.2 a 81.0 a 127.5 a 66.9 a
Row cover 2.02 a 45.7 b 67.5 b 110.2 b 56.3 b
Mulch
Black 2.65 a 51.3 b 74.8 b 124.0 b 63.2 b
White/black 2.6 a 57.2 a 80.3 a 127.2 a 66.8 a
Silver/white 2.36 a 55.1 ab 79.8 a 126.9 a 66.0 a
Aluminum 2.60 a 48.3 c 71.0 c 111.9 c 58.5 c
Bare soil 1.88 b 42.7 d 65.3 d 104.3 d 53.5 d
p
Row covers
(RC)
0.056 0.002 0.001 0.009 0.001
Mulch (M) 0.004 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001
RC × M 0.523 0.467 0.097 0.214 0.042
Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science 3

plants without row cover showed higher total dry
weight compared to plants with row cover. These
results are in contrast with those obtained by Jolliffe
and Gaye (1995) in pepper as plants responded
favorably when row cover was used. In this study,
the mulching of potato plants resulted in increased
total dry weight regardless of film color, which is
explained by the modification of the radiation balance
in the soil surface and the change in the microclimate,
which in turn resulted in more vigorous plants
due to enhanced vegetative growth (Lamont 2005;
Kasperbauer 2000).
The use of row cover affected leaf nutrient status
as plants exhibited higher concentration of Fe and
Zn compared with uncovered plants; however, N, S,
and Mn were reduced (Table 4). Compared to the
control plants in bare soil, concentration of N, Cu,
and Mn was higher in leaves of plants mulched with
films of white/black, silver/black, and black colors.
Magnesium concentration was reduced in leaves of
plants mulched with plastics of black, silver/black,
and aluminum color. Our results are partially in
contrast with reports by Díaz-Pérez (2010), which
indicate that the accumulation of mineral nutrients
in leaves and fruits of bell pepper was affected by
the color of the plastic mulch during the spring but
not in the fall season, indicating that soil temperat-
ure plays an important role in the accumulation of
nutrients in fruits and leaves.
Row covers should be carefully used as some
species are reported sensitive to the supraoptimal
air temperatures that may develop under the cover
and that can have negative effects (Ibarra-Jiménez
et al. 2004). In potato, small tunnels were effective
in protecting plants from aphids that are vectors
of virus and leaf rust (Webb & Linda 1992). The
aforementioned research is partly consistent with
the results of the present study since the treatments
with no cover had significantly (p ≤ 0.01) higher
yield compared to treatments with row cover
(except in the residual grade), which, on average,
yielded 10.7 t ha−1
(32.9%).
The highest yield of tubers of first quality (16.9 t ha−1
)
was obtained when plants were mulched with black
plastic (Table 5). Díaz-Pérez et al. (2007) reported
contrasting results in tomato, as mulching with black
plastic films decreased vegetative growth and fruit
production due to the increased soil temperature. Yield
of tubers of second rate (16.3 t ha−1
) was obtained
with white/black plastic mulch, whereas for the third-
quality rate it was with the film of aluminum color
Table 4. Leaf nutrient concentrations in potato on colored plastic mulch and row covers removed at 30 days after seeding
(DAS).
Nutrient concentration (ppm)
N P K S Mg Cu Fe Mn Zn
Row cover
No row cover 9584 a 2274 a 7581 a 2380 a 2821 a 8.95 a 144.2 b 160.7 a 14.8 b
Row cover 7965 b 2264 a 7625 a 2160 b 2635 a 8.80 a 159.6 a 144.1 b 17.6 a
Mulch
Black 8575 bc 2224 ab 8101 a 2413 a 2529 b 8.50 b 158.6 a 148.4 b 14.4 c
White/black 10,263 ab 2748 a 7977 a 2200 a 3250 a 8.62 b 152.8 a 153.6 ab 15.6 bc
Silver/black 10,813 a 2693 a 7698 a 2200 a 2562 b 12.00 a 152.8 a 165.5 a 17.7 a
Aluminum 7150 c 1548 b 6680 a 2350 a 2193 b 8.25 bc 160.5 a 166.8 a 16.5 ab
Bare soil 7071 c 2133a b 7559 a 2187 a 3106 a 7.00 c 150.6 a 127.5 c 16.7 ab
p
Row cover (RC) 0.008 0.570 0.366 0.038 0.463 0.215 0.006 0.017 0.023
Mulch (M) 0.002 0.011 0.467 0.465 0.001 0.001 0.068 0.001 0.004
RC Â M 0.142 0.958 0.933 0.492 0.075 0.052 0.091 0.420 0.969
Note: Means within each column followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to Duncan’s test (p ≤ 0.05).
Table 5. Tuber yield of potato plants, according to quality
rate, mulched with colored plastic films and row covers
removed 30 days after seeding (DAS).
Yield (t ha−1
)
First Second Third Residual Total
Row cover
No row
cover
16.9 a 12.5 a 9.9 a 3.9 b 43.2 a
Row cover 9.8 b 10.2 b 8.2 b 4.3 a 32.5 b
Mulch
Black 16.9 a 11.7 b 7.7 d 2.9 d 39.3 b
White/black 15.9 ab 16.3 a 6.9 d 3.1 d 42.2 a
Silver/black 14.7 b 11.3 bc 10.0 b 4.4 b 40.5 ab
Aluminum 11.2 c 10.4 c 12.0 a 3.2 c 36.8 c
Bare soil 7.9 d 7.1 d 8.7 c 6.8 a 30.4 d
p
Row covers
(RC)
0.001 0.012 0.027 0.001 0.001
Mulch (M) 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001
RC Â M 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.017 0.001

(12.0 t ha−1
). The lowest yield was observed in plants
mulched with black and white/black plastic films.
Plants grown in bare soil resulted with the highest yield
of cull-grade tubers.
Tuber total yield was obtained in plants mulched
with films of white/black and silver color, exceeding
the yield of control plants by 38.7% and 33.0%,
respectively. The total yield obtained with black and
aluminum plastic film exceeded that of plants grown
in bare soil by 29.1% and 20.7%, respectively. Our
results are in contrast with those obtained by Wang
et al. (2009, 2011) as mulched potato plants exhib-
ited restrained growth mainly due to the higher air
and soil temperature detected in the study, which
have been reported to be harmful for potato produc-
tion (Kar & Kumar 2007).
Mean soil temperature influenced tuber yield
(Figure 1); white/black and silver/black plastic films
recorded an average soil temperature of 18.5°C
and were associated with the highest tuber yield.
However, when soil temperature increased to about
19.5°C, yield tended to decrease. The results are in
agreement with those obtained by Díaz-Pérez (2010)
with bell pepper mulched with silver and white
plastic films as root zone temperature influenced
positively fruit yield; however, in that study, plants
mulched with the black plastic film had a lower yield
in the fall due to an increase in mean soil temperat-
ure. In contrast, in our study the black plastic mulch
had a positive effect on producing high-quality
tubers. In a different study by Díaz-Pérez et al.
(2005) with tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa), the black
plastic mulch had no significant effect on yield;
however, in the present study, the black plastic film
had a positive relationship between tuber production
and the average temperature of the root zone.
Total yield increased as leaf area of potato plants
increased (Figure 2). The plastic films affected leaf
area in the following sequence: black/white, silver/
black, black, aluminum, and the control. The results
are partly similar to those obtained in hot pepper by
Iqbal et al. (2009) as mulching with black plastic film
provided the best results in order to maximize leaf
area and yield of pepper. Kumari (2012) reported
that black plastic mulch plus drip irrigation con-
served soil moisture, stimulated shoot growth, and
produced higher leaf area and yield in potato;
however, the tubers were smaller compared to those
obtained with bare soil, probably due to the marked
increase in soil temperature (9°C).
Mulching of soil enhanced biomass production
(Figure 3), which was associated with the increased
total tuber yield. Regardless of the film color,
mulching of soils was associated with a higher
biomass and total yield. However, mulching with
films of aluminum color caused lower biomass and
tuber yield. Contrasting results were obtained by
Hassan (1995) in pepper, since mulching with
plastic films of aluminum color caused better ratio
of dry biomass and yield. The use of plastic mulch
promotes changes in the microclimate of the plant,
favoring growth and vigor, production, and yield of
plants (Andino & Motsenbocker 2004; López-López
et al. 2009; Díaz-Pérez 2010).
Mulching with plastic films allowed an increase in
growth and tuber yield of potato plants according
to the plastic color. The highest tuber yield was
obtained when soil was mulched with the white/black
plastic. Row covers are not recommended for potato
as they adversely affected tuber yield. Mulching of
soils, alone or combined with row covers, affected
the concentration of some nutrients in leaves.
Black
White/black
Silver/black
Aluminum
Control
y = –0.8274x2
+ 30.679x –243.77
R2
= 0.94
25
30
35
40
45
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Totalyield(tha–1
)
Mean soil temperature (°C)
Figure 1. Relationship between mean soil temperature
and total tuber yield of potato as affected by mulching with
colored plastic films.
Black
White/black
Silver/black
Aluminum
Control
y = –3E-07x2
+ 0.0072x + 5.6317
R2
= 0.98
25
30
35
40
45
3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500
Leaf area (cm2
plant–1
)
Totalyield(tha–1
)
Figure 2. Relationship between leaf area and total
tuber yield of potato as affected by mulching with colored
plastic films.
Black
Black
Silver/black
Aluminum
Control y = –0.0349x2
+ 5.0223x –138.14
R2
= 0.98
25
30
35
40
45
50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68
Biomass (g planta–1
)
Totalyield(tha–1
)
Figure 3. Relationship between biomass and total yield
of potato tubers as affected by mulching with colored
plastic films.
Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science 5

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Cultivation of Potato - Use of Plastic Mulch and Row Covers on Soil Temperature, Growth, Nutrient Status and Yield; Gardening Guidebook