Mulching
Mulching is the practice of putting a protective
layer of an organic or inorganic material that is spread on top of the soil.
Mulches can either be organic, such as straw of paddy or wheat, stover of
maize, crop residues of various leguminous crops, and grass clippings or
inorganic, such as plastics of varying colour and thickness, stones, and brick
chips. Plastic mulching performs better at relatively low temperature while
straw mulching is more suitable for hot climate. Straw mulching consists of
placing a uniform layer of straw approximately @ 4-6 t/ha. Both organic and inorganic
mulches have several benefits. In non-flooded rice systems, evaporation as well
as percolation losses are reduced substantially by mulch which further increases
WUE upto 60%. Besides, mulch ensures earlier crop establishment (3 weeks), add
organic matter, increase yield (7-8%), increase nitrogen use efficiency (upto
20%), and suppress weed seed germination.