Effects Of Different Colored Plastic Film Mulching On Yield And Quality Of Sweet Potato

The field experiment was conducted at the agricultural college experimental farm of the department of crop science and plant breeding in 2018 and 2019 cropping season to study the effects of different colored plastic film mulching on yield and quality of sweet potatoes?Ipomoea batatas?.The experimental design used was a 2x3 factorial with treatments arranged in RCBD design.The cultivars used were:?i?Guangshu 87;?ii?Pushu 32.The plastic film used was:?i?black color;?ii?silver color;?iii?white color.Each treatment was replicated 4 repetitions.‘Guangshu 87 and Pushu 32'was an improved sweet potato cultivar released by Guangdong Research Center and Pushu Research Center.The growth parameter on the main vine length?cm?and vine weight was recorded at 30,60days,and during harvest.Leaf temperature and soil temperature were also recorded after four weeks after transplanting,and data were weekly recorded.At harvest time,the number of tuber per plant,total tuber count weight?kg?,tuber width?cm?,tuber length?cm?,single fruit weight?kg?,tuber dry matter content?%?,tuber size grades,worm infestation,weevil's infestation,total tuber yield(tons ha^-1),carotene and soluble content were also analyzed.All plastic film mulch materials showed significantly higher on growth and yield,?soil and leaf?temperatures,and quality traits than control or no mulch.Among all treatments,silver mulch was significantly higher.Silver mulch under cultivar Pushu 32 performed better with an average yield of?18.65t/ha?followed by black mulch?16.51t/ha?and white mulch?16.31t/ha?,whiles no mulch or control?12.15t/ha?recorded the minimum average tuber yield.Under all the treatments,silver mulch recorded the lowest infestation of weevils followed by black mulch and white mulch material and highest was recorded under control.Pushu 32 had the highest carotene content of?0.322?g 100 g-1?.Silver mulch recorded the highest soluble sugar content of?1.482?g 100 g-1?under cultivar Guangshu 87.All mulching materials had a significant effects on leaf temperature but were recorded higher under cultivar Pushu 32 while on soil temperature,white mulch followed by silver mulch and black recorded the highest soil temperature at 10cm soil depth during the afternoon time.