By Clint Thompson
Paper mulch research continues to yield results that would benefit North Florida watermelon growers, says Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida.
He spoke with AgNet Media about the ongoing research during the recent Suwanee Valley Watermelon Institute meeting.
“The paper mulch project has been very exciting. It’s an innovative, new product. It will be commercialized this upcoming year on a small basis,” Hochmuth said.
Nutsedge Prevention
Its main benefit involves a significant reduction of nutsedge in the crop beds. Unlike the plastic mulch where nutsedge can penetrate and wreak havoc in fields where watermelons are planted, paper mulch can prevent the weed from emerging and contending with the vines for essential nutrients.
“Nutsedge (prevention) is one of those benefits where the nutsedge will not come through the paper like it does with plastic mulch. That is one of the main advantages of it,” Hochmuth said.
UF/IFAS research in Florida showed that the presence of 25 yellow nutsedge plants per square meter (2.32 per square foot) in the watermelon bed throughout the season reduced yield by 98%, and six yellow nutsedge plants per square meter (0.56 per square foot) reduced yield by 20%.
Nutsedge prevention is just one advantage of utilizing paper mulch.
“Of course, it can be turned into the soil at the end of the season, so we don’t have to pick the paper up at the end of the season,” Hochmuth said. “The current research is also looking at things like temperature retention in the soil and moisture retention in the soil. It appears as though the paper, which is a better insulator than plastic, that it retains, maybe a degree or two or three of temperature on a cold night. That could be a huge advantage.”