ARS | Publication request: EVAPORATION REDUCTION WITH PAPER-PELLET MULCH

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 29, 1995
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Crop residue mulch reduces soil water evaporation, but dryland crops often produce limited residues. An alternative mulch material is waste paper. Evaporation with paper-pellet or crop-residue mulch was measured in two trials. In Trial I, small (4.8-mm diam.) and large (9.5-mm diam.) paper pellets gave full or half cover of the surface. Large pellets at full cover reduced evaporation more than other treatments most of the time. It was reduced most on Day 4 when it was 0.52 of that with bare soil. Both half-cover treatments resulted in similar evaporation. In Trial II, evaporation with small and large pellets at full cover, wheat straw, sorghum stover, and bare soil was compared. Except with small pellets after Day 11, evaporation was lower with mulch than with bare soil. Evaporation tended to be greater with small than with large pellets, similar for large pellets and wheat straw, and lower with sorghum than with hother treatments. Reduction was greatest on Day 1 with sorghum stover whe it was 0.28 of that with bare soil. Use of paper-pellet mulch can reduce soil water evaporation and, thus, increase water conservation.