Abstract
Abstract The influence of polyethylene mulch surface color on the plant light environment and tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) production was investigated. White- or silver-painted mulches reflected more total light, and a lower ratio of far-red relative to red light, than mulches painted black or red. Soil temperatures were warmer under the black and red mulches. Mulch color also affected the yield and growth of tomato. Tomato plants grown with red mulch generally had the greatest early marketable yields and produced the least amount of foliage. Plants grown with a white or silver-colored mulch had lower early marketable yields but produced more foliage. These results suggest that mulch surface color can induce changes in the plant microclimate (e.g., spectral balance and quantity of light, root zone temperatures) that can act through natural regulatory systems within the growing plant and affect tomato plant growth and fruit production.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
White or silver mulches reflected more total light than black or red mulches in tomato production.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- White- or silver-painted mulchese1
- Outcome
- total lighte1
- Direction
- reflected moree1
- Comparator
- mulches painted black or rede1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“The influence of polyethylene mulch surface color on the plant light environment and tomato”
e1“White- or silver-painted mulches reflected more total light, and a lower ratio of far-red relative to red light, than mulches painted black or red”
Claim · model-written summary
White or silver mulches gave a lower ratio of far-red to red light than black or red mulches in tomato production.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- White- or silver-painted mulchese1
- Outcome
- ratio of far-red relative to red lighte1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Comparator
- mulches painted black or rede1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“The influence of polyethylene mulch surface color on the plant light environment and tomato”
e1“White- or silver-painted mulches reflected more total light, and a lower ratio of far-red relative to red light, than mulches painted black or red”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil temperatures were warmer under black and red mulches in tomato production.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- black and red mulchese2
- Outcome
- Soil temperaturese2
- Direction
- warmere2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“The influence of polyethylene mulch surface color on the plant light environment and tomato”
e2“Soil temperatures were warmer under the black and red mulches”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch color affected the yield and growth of tomato.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume3 - Treatment
- Mulch colore3
- Outcome
- yield and growthe3
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e3“Mulch color also affected the yield and growth of tomato. Tomato plants grown with red mulch generally had the greatest early marketable yields and produced the least amount of foliage”
Claim · model-written summary
Red mulch gave the greatest early marketable yields of tomato.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume3 - Treatment
- red mulche3
- Outcome
- early marketable yieldse3
- Direction
- greateste3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e3“Mulch color also affected the yield and growth of tomato. Tomato plants grown with red mulch generally had the greatest early marketable yields and produced the least amount of foliage”
Claim · model-written summary
Red mulch gave tomato plants the least amount of foliage.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume3 - Treatment
- red mulche3
- Outcome
- foliagee3
- Direction
- least amounte3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e3“Mulch color also affected the yield and growth of tomato. Tomato plants grown with red mulch generally had the greatest early marketable yields and produced the least amount of foliage”
Claim · model-written summary
White or silver-colored mulch gave lower early marketable yields of tomato than red mulch.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- white or silver-colored mulche4
- Outcome
- early marketable yieldse4
- Direction
- lowere4
- Comparator
- red mulche3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“The influence of polyethylene mulch surface color on the plant light environment and tomato”
e3“Mulch color also affected the yield and growth of tomato. Tomato plants grown with red mulch generally had the greatest early marketable yields and produced the least amount of foliage”
e4“Plants grown with a white or silver-colored mulch had lower early marketable yields but produced more foliage”
Claim · model-written summary
White or silver-colored mulch produced more tomato foliage than red mulch.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- white or silver-colored mulche4
- Outcome
- foliagee4
- Direction
- moree4
- Comparator
- red mulche3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“The influence of polyethylene mulch surface color on the plant light environment and tomato”
e3“Mulch color also affected the yield and growth of tomato. Tomato plants grown with red mulch generally had the greatest early marketable yields and produced the least amount of foliage”
e4“Plants grown with a white or silver-colored mulch had lower early marketable yields but produced more foliage”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · quality: postharvest · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
43 papers in the same direction as this paper · 9 in the opposite direction · 2 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- positive
- positive
51 papers more in this group
See all 55 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.