Paddy straw mulching: A boon for fruit crops

Abstract

The burning of paddy straw due to predominance of rice crop in kharif season creates a huge problem of air pollution in addition to depletion of soil health. Paddy straw is available abundantly in Punjab which can be effectively utilized as surface mulch to control environmental pollution apart from offering many other benefits in fruit orchards like effective weed control, reduced fruit drop, improvement in yield and fruit quality, conservation of soil moisture, increased soil organic matter as well as improvement in soil structure. This article highlights use of optimum quantity and suitable time of applying paddy straw mulch in major fruit crops like kinnow, guava, pear, peach, ber and plum grown under subtropical climate.