- 1Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), 9090 Merelbeke-Melle, Belgium
- 2Department of Environment – SENSE Unit, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
In Europe, future summers are expected to bring both droughts and periods of excessive rainfall, highlighting the need for adaptable agronomic strategies across varying climatic scenarios. While mulch is well-documented for its ability to reduce soil evaporation and enhance tolerance against drought, its effects under wet conditions remain unclear.
In this study, we investigated the efficacy of three types of organic mulch - hay, miscanthus, and woodchips - for potato cultivation (Solanum tuberosum L.) during the wet summer of 2024 in the Flemish region of Belgium. Mulch was applied as a 6-cm layer on a sandy loam field. To gain insights into the impact of mulching on soil processes and crop development, we measured soil water content, matric potential, temperature, microbial activity, nitrogen in both soil and plant, and crop growth through a combination of manual and UAV measurements.
Our findings indicate that mulch biodegradability was the main factor affecting crop development during the wet 2024 growing season. At the final harvest, the average tuber yields under hay and miscanthus treatments were 33.2±3.0 t/ha and 29.2±4.5 t/ha, respectively, surpassing the control group yield of 28.1±3.3 t/ha. In contrast, the woodchip treatment resulted in a lower tuber yield of 24.4±4.4 t/ha. The best-performing mulch thus led to an 18% increase in tuber yield, while the worst-performing mulch induced a 13% decrease compared to the control treatment.
We assume that rapidly decomposing mulches provided a nitrogen boost mediated by soil microbial activity, thereby enhancing crop growth. In contrast, slowly decomposing materials might have caused nitrogen immobilization, reducing crop development and yield compared to the control group. The study underscores that the effectiveness of mulching is context-dependent and shaped by the interplay of mulch characteristics, environmental conditions, and crop-specific requirements.
How to cite: Willemet, R., Schreel, J., De Swaef, T., Cornelis, W., and De Boever, M.: Mulch Type Matters: The Impact of Mulch Biodegradability on Potato Crop Development Under Wet Conditions in Belgium, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-6950, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-6950, 2025.
