Ba. Fortnum et al., COLORED MULCHES AFFECT YIELD OF FRESH-MARKET TOMATO INFECTED WITH MELOIDOGYNE-INCOGNITA, Journal of nematology, 29(4), 1997, pp. 538-546
The effects of different-colored polyethylene mulches on the quantity
and spectra of reflected light, earliness of fruit set, fruit yield an
d quality, and root-knot disease were studied in field-grown, staked t
omato (Lycopersicon esculentum). White mulch reflected more photosynth
etic light and a lower far-red-to-red ratio than red mulch, whereas bl
ack mulch reflected less than 5 percent of any color. Soil temperature
s and fruit yields were recorded for tomato plants inoculated with Mel
oidogyne incognita race 3 at initial populations of 0, 1,000, 10,000,
50,000, or 100,000 eggs/plant and grown over black, white, or red plas
tic mulch in both spring and fall. Soil temperatures were lower under
white mulch than under red or black mulch. Tomato yields declined as i
noculum level increased. Plants grown over red mulch in the spring and
inoculated with 50,000 eggs of M. incognita had greater early marketa
ble yields than similarly inoculated plants grown over black or white
mulch. Tomato plants inoculated with 100,000 eggs and grown over white
mulch or red mulch in the spring had greater total yields per plot th
an similar plants grown over black mulch (7.39 kg and 7.71 kg vs. 3.65
kg, respectively).