Abstract
Plasticulture has been successfully used to enhance growth and yield of horticultural crops, and also for season extension in cooler climates. The effect of three plastic mulches (silver on black, photoselective thermal green, and black) in combination with spunbonded polyester rowcover (0.9 oz/yard 2 ) on spring-planted watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ) production was investigated. Two red-fleshed cultivars [Sangria (seeded) and Crimson Jewel (triploid)] were used. Plastic mulches increased early and total marketable yield in comparison with bare ground for both cultivars, but net benefit increased in ‘Crimson Jewel’ only. In contrast, yield and net benefit were the same among plastic mulches. Rowcover increased soil and air temperature, with the effect being greatest at lower ambient temperatures. During a near-freeze event, air temperature under the rowcover was about 7.2 °F higher than without a rowcover. Rowcover increased early and total marketable yield, but fruit weight decreased in both cultivars. Yield distribution into three fruit size categories was inconsistent between the cultivars. In ‘Sangria’, the large fruit category had the highest yield proportion for all treatments. In contrast, the highest yield proportion of ‘Crimson Jewel’, with exception of mulch without rowcover, corresponded to small fruit. Rowcover increased gross income at wholesale prices, but net benefit was not different from without rowcover. Protection of high-value plants, such as triploid watermelon, against light freezes, however, may still justify the use of rowcover in early plantings.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic mulches increased early and total marketable yield compared with bare ground in both cultivars.
- Taxon
- Watermelon
Citrullus lanatust0 - Treatment
- Plastic mulchese0
- Outcome
- early and total marketable yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- bare grounde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e0“Plastic mulches increased early and total marketable yield in comparison with bare ground for both cultivars, but net benefit increased in ‘Crimson Jewel’ only. In contrast, yield and net benefit were the same among plastic mulches”
Claim · model-written summary
Net benefit increased in Crimson Jewel only under plastic mulches compared with bare ground.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Crimson Jewele0
- Treatment
- Plastic mulchese0
- Outcome
- net benefite0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- bare grounde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e0“Plastic mulches increased early and total marketable yield in comparison with bare ground for both cultivars, but net benefit increased in ‘Crimson Jewel’ only. In contrast, yield and net benefit were the same among plastic mulches”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield and net benefit were the same among plastic mulches.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- plastic mulchese0
- Outcome
- yield and net benefite0
- Direction
- were the samee0
- Comparator
- among plastic mulchese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e0“Plastic mulches increased early and total marketable yield in comparison with bare ground for both cultivars, but net benefit increased in ‘Crimson Jewel’ only. In contrast, yield and net benefit were the same among plastic mulches”
Claim · model-written summary
Rowcover increased soil and air temperature.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- Rowcovere1
- Outcome
- soil and air temperaturee1
- Direction
- increasede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e1“Rowcover increased soil and air temperature, with the effect being greatest at lower ambient temperatures. During a near-freeze event, air temperature under the rowcover was about 7.2 °F higher than without a rowcover”
Claim · model-written summary
During a near-freeze event, air temperature under rowcover was about 7.2 °F higher than without rowcover.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- rowcovere1
- Outcome
- air temperaturee1
- Direction
- highere1
- Value
- 7.2 °Fe1
- Comparator
- without a rowcovere1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e1“Rowcover increased soil and air temperature, with the effect being greatest at lower ambient temperatures. During a near-freeze event, air temperature under the rowcover was about 7.2 °F higher than without a rowcover”
Claim · model-written summary
Rowcover increased early and total marketable yield.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- Rowcovere2
- Outcome
- early and total marketable yielde2
- Direction
- increasede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e2“Rowcover increased early and total marketable yield, but fruit weight decreased in both cultivars. Yield distribution into three fruit size categories was inconsistent between the cultivars”
Claim · model-written summary
Rowcover decreased fruit weight in both cultivars.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- Rowcovere2
- Outcome
- fruit weighte2
- Direction
- decreasede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e2“Rowcover increased early and total marketable yield, but fruit weight decreased in both cultivars. Yield distribution into three fruit size categories was inconsistent between the cultivars”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield distribution into three fruit size categories was inconsistent between the two cultivars.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Outcome
- Yield distribution into three fruit size categoriese2
- Qualifier
- was inconsistent between the cultivarse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e2“Rowcover increased early and total marketable yield, but fruit weight decreased in both cultivars. Yield distribution into three fruit size categories was inconsistent between the cultivars”
Claim · model-written summary
In Sangria, the large fruit category had the highest yield proportion for all treatments.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Sangriae3
- Outcome
- large fruit categorye3
- Direction
- highest yield proportione3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e3“In ‘Sangria’, the large fruit category had the highest yield proportion for all treatments. In contrast, the highest yield proportion of ‘Crimson Jewel’, with exception of mulch without rowcover, corresponded to small fruit”
Claim · model-written summary
In Crimson Jewel, the highest yield proportion corresponded to small fruit, except under mulch without rowcover.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Material
- Crimson Jewele3
- Outcome
- highest yield proportione3
- Qualifier
- corresponded to small fruite3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e3“In ‘Sangria’, the large fruit category had the highest yield proportion for all treatments. In contrast, the highest yield proportion of ‘Crimson Jewel’, with exception of mulch without rowcover, corresponded to small fruit”
Claim · model-written summary
Rowcover increased gross income at wholesale prices.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- Rowcovere4
- Outcome
- gross income at wholesale pricese4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Comparator
- without rowcovere4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e4“Rowcover increased gross income at wholesale prices, but net benefit was not different from without rowcover. Protection of high-value plants, such as triploid watermelon, against light freezes, however, may still justify the use of rowcover in early plantings”
Claim · model-written summary
Rowcover did not change net benefit compared with no rowcover.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- Rowcovere4
- Outcome
- net benefite4
- Direction
- was not differente4
- Comparator
- without rowcovere4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e4“Rowcover increased gross income at wholesale prices, but net benefit was not different from without rowcover. Protection of high-value plants, such as triploid watermelon, against light freezes, however, may still justify the use of rowcover in early plantings”
Claim · model-written summary
Rowcover may justify use in early watermelon plantings to protect high-value plants against light freezes.
Verbatim
t0“Differential Watermelon Fruit Size Distribution in Response to Plastic Mulch and Spunbonded Polyester Rowcover”
e4“Rowcover increased gross income at wholesale prices, but net benefit was not different from without rowcover. Protection of high-value plants, such as triploid watermelon, against light freezes, however, may still justify the use of rowcover in early plantings”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Results differ
35 papers in the same direction as this paper · 8 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- no effect
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See all 44 papers →mulching · quality: postharvest · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Results agree
5 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
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See all 6 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.