Mulches

About 60 to 75 per cent of the rainfall is lost through evaporation. These evaporation losses can be reduced by applying mulches. Mulch is any material applied on the soil surface to check evaporation and improve soil water. Application of mulches results in additional benefits like soil conservation, moderation of temperature, reduction in soil salinity, weed control and improvement of soil structure.

Types of mulches
Soil mulch or dust mulch:

If the surface of the soil is loosened, it acts as a mulch for reducing evaporation. This loose surface soil is called soil mulch or dust mulch. Intercultivation creates soil mulch in a growing crop.

Stubble mulch

Crop residues like wheat straw or cotton stalks etc., are left on the soil surface as a stubble mulch. The advantages of stubble mulch farming are protection of soil from erosion and reduction of evaporation losses.

Straw mulch           

If straw is used as mulch, it is called as straw mulch.

Plastic mulch           

Plastic materials like polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride are also used as mulching materials.

Vertical mulching

To improve infiltration and storage of rainwater in these soils, vertical mulches are formed. It consists of digging narrow trenches across the slope at intervals and placing the straw or crop residues in these trenches. The pruned plant material is placed in contour trenches formed between rows or in trenches around the plants in concentric circles each year in one circle.