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https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/29518
Title: | Effects of vegetative mulches on growth of indigenous crops in the Kingdom of Tonga | Contributor(s): | Manu, V (author); Whitbread, A (author); Blair, G (author) | Publication Date: | 2018-03 | Early Online Version: | 2018-01-26 | DOI: | 10.1111/sum.12398 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/29518 | Abstract: | As in many areas of the developing world, intensification of agriculture in Tonga, and other Pacific Islands, has put increased pressure on the soil resource. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of mulch on the growth and yield of two important food and fibre crops. The first was conducted on sloping land to evaluate the effect of guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) mulch and hedgerows on taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] yield, and in controlling soil erosion. The second compared the response of paper mulberry [Broussonetia papyrifera (L) Ventenot] to different management regimes of a grass fallow. Thick vegetative mulch increased taro corm yield by 81% and reduced soil loss by 50% compared to local farmer practice, and the soil loss from taro with mulch was comparable to the perennial cash hedgerow treatment. Mulch increased paper mulberry bark yield by 30% compared to the non‐mulch control. Comparative economic analysis showed that increased net profit in the mulched treatments compared to the non‐mulched control was T$2660/ha for taro and T$12 108/ha for paper mulberry. Considering that mulch is readily available to many farmers throughout the Pacific Islands and elsewhere in the tropics, it is recommended as a sustainable practice for crop production. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Soil Use and Management, 34(1), p. 147-153 | Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd | Place of Publication: | United Kingdom | ISSN: | 1475-2743 0266-0032 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 070306 Crop and Pasture Nutrition | Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 300407 Crop and pasture nutrition | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 860302 Organic Fertilisers | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 241402 Organic fertilisers | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Environmental and Rural Science |
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