Effect of Mulching and Planting Geometry on Seed Production in Vegetable Crops: A Review

Mulching and planting geometryare the important modern agrotechniqueswhich can improve the yield and quality of seeds in vegetables. Numerous workers have given reasonable proof that mulches provide many advantages for the user, such as higher yields, better fruit quality, earlier harvest, better moisture retention, inhibition of weed growth, reduced fertilizer leaching, decreased soil compaction, fruit protection from soil deposits and from soil microorganisms. One of the main objectives of using plastic mulch is to increase soil temperature in the root-zone. The favourable root-zone temperature promotes the uptake of water and mineral nutrients, which in turn promotes better foliage, growth and fruit set. Planting geometry determines the plant distribution in the field and thereby affects competition among crop plants for minerals, nutrients and also important to facilitate aeration and light penetration into crop canopy. Plant arrangement has received relatively little attention particularly in bell pepper. In theory, equidistant spacing of plants within the row and between rows (an arrangement approaching a square) should maximize the yield per plant by optimizing canopy exposure to light and by providing a more uniform area for water and mineral uptake by the roots. Plant biomass production per unit area of land is directly related to solar radiation interception. Solar radiation interceptiondepends on leaf areaindex, which is strongly determined by plant density and arrangement.