ABSTRACT
320 321A field experiment was conducted from December 2013 to April 2014 in TNAU Coimbatore to find out the effect of mulching on soil physical properties and soil moisture distribution pattern under drip irrigation. Soil physical properties such as bulk density, particle density, and porosity were determined. Bulk density decreased in mulched treatments compared to control. Initially, the bulk density of the soil was 1.37 g cc−1. After the crop harvest, the bulk density of the mulched plots decreased to a range of 1.29-1.32 g cc−1, whereas in control plots, there was not that much change in the bulk density of the soil compared to the mulching treatments. Porosity of the presowing and postharvest soil samples were measured. Porosity was less before transplanting (42.31%) but increased to greater extent in mulched treatments in postharvest observations. But the amount of increase was less in the control. More moisture was distributed in deeper soil layer below the emitter compared to top layer, and moisture distribution decreased with increase in radial distance from the emitter. It was also seen that at the beginning, water saturated the soil near the emitter and infiltration was slower, but at later stages, water penetrated to deeper layer without any loss as in the case of surface irrigation.
