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Effect of Reflective Coatings on Soil Temperatures, Soil Moisture, and the Establishment of Fall Bell Peppers 1
Author(s) -
Gerard C. J.,
Chambers G.
Publication year - 1967
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1967.00021962005900040001x
Subject(s) - sowing , agronomy , hectare , germination , pepper , tonne , water content , population , yield (engineering) , environmental science , moisture , horticulture , chemistry , materials science , biology , ecology , demography , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , sociology , metallurgy , agriculture , engineering
Reflective coatings when applied to modify the soil surface were effective in maintaining favorable soil temperatures and in suppressing evaporation for establishing plant stands. A high inverse relationship was obtained between soil temperatures at planting depth and stand establishment of fall bell peppers. Soil temperatures at 45 C to 47 C at planting depth prevented germination of peppers. Certain coatings were effective in suppressing soil temperatures below 43 C at planting depth and in providing a favorable environment for germination of fall peppers. The data suggest that the use of 41 to 61 liters/are (10 to 15 gal/1000 ft 2 ) of better reflective coating materials adequately suppress evaporation and insure desired plant population of peppers. Pepper yields were a function of stand with the peppers growing under the better coatings producing about 5 metric tons per hectare or over five times the yield on the multi‐irrigated bare plots.