Mulching is the process or practice of covering the soil/ground to make more favourable conditions for plant growth, development and efficient crop production.The technical term mulch means ‘covering of soil’.
While natural mulches such as leaf, straw, dead leaves and compost have been used for centuries, during the last 60 years the advent of synthetic materials has altered the methods and benefits of mulching.
The development of polyethylene as a plastic film in 1938 and its subsequent introduction as a clear and black plastic mulch in the early 1950s revolutionized the commercial production of selected vegetable crops.
When compared to other mulches plastic mulches are completely impermeable to water; it therefore prevents direct evaporation of moisture from the soil and thus limits the water losses and soil erosion over the surface.
Throughout the succeeding years and....
