Abstract
Cantaloupe and watermelon growers in the southeastern United States use a system of hybrid transplants grown on narrow low-density polyethylene (LDPE) mulch-covered seedbeds with overhead irrigation and use the mulch cover for only one crop. LDPE mulches are costly to remove from the field and dispose. Biodegradable mulches that eliminate removal and disposal costs would be of significant benefit, provided that weeds are adequately suppressed. Cotton gin trash is a biodegradable waste product, composed of fiber fragments and seed pieces. Using a proprietary process, cotton gin trash can be chopped, pressed, and heated into a loose mat and stored on a continuous roll. Preliminary studies were conducted in 2010 and 2011 to determine if rolled cotton fiber mulch made from gin trash could be applied as a seedbed cover using conventional application equipment and adequately suppress weeds. Mulching materials (rolls 91 cm wide) were applied with a mulch layer that produced a finished seedbed 40 cm wide. ‘Athena' cantaloupe and ‘Crimson Sweet' watermelon were transplanted using a waterwheel transplanter. Mulching materials included rolled cotton fiber mulch sprayed with boiled linseed oil after mulch application, rolled cotton fiber mulch sprayed with black latex paint, black LDPE, and bare ground. Herbicide treatments included ethalfluralin, halosulfuron, and glyphosate applied as directed spray and nontreated with herbicides. Rolled cotton fiber mulch was easily applied with a conventional mulch layer with no modification and minimal adjustment, producing no tears or holes. Biodegradable cotton fiber mulch treated with boiled linseed oil or black latex paint suppressed weeds equally well as LDPE and all were better than bare-ground plots. Herbicides improved control of all weeds over the nontreated control and this effect was independent of weed suppression provided by seedbed mulches. Cantaloupe and watermelon yields were not affected by seedbed mulches, but were increased by weed control provided by herbicides.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Biodegradable cotton fiber mulch treated with boiled linseed oil or black latex paint suppressed weeds equally well as LDPE mulch.
- Taxon
- Cantaloupe and watermelon
Citrullus lanatus
Cucumis melo var. cantalupoe0 - Treatment
- Biodegradable cotton fiber mulch treated with boiled linseed oil or black latex painte1
- Outcome
- weedse1
- Direction
- equally welle1
- Comparator
- LDPEe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cantaloupe and watermelon growers in the southeastern United States”
e1“Biodegradable cotton fiber mulch treated with boiled linseed oil or black latex paint suppressed weeds equally well as LDPE and all were better than bare-ground plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Biodegradable cotton fiber mulch treated with boiled linseed oil or black latex paint suppressed weeds better than bare ground.
- Taxon
- Cantaloupe and watermelonCitrullus lanatusCucumis melo var. cantalupoe0
- Treatment
- Biodegradable cotton fiber mulch treated with boiled linseed oil or black latex painte1
- Outcome
- weedse1
- Direction
- bettere1
- Comparator
- bare-ground plotse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cantaloupe and watermelon growers in the southeastern United States”
e1“Biodegradable cotton fiber mulch treated with boiled linseed oil or black latex paint suppressed weeds equally well as LDPE and all were better than bare-ground plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Seedbed mulches did not affect cantaloupe and watermelon yields.
- Taxon
- Cantaloupe and watermelonCitrullus lanatusCucumis melo var. cantalupoe0
- Treatment
- seedbed mulchese2
- Outcome
- yieldse2
- Direction
- not affectede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cantaloupe and watermelon growers in the southeastern United States”
e2“Cantaloupe and watermelon yields were not affected by seedbed mulches, but were increased by weed control provided by herbicides”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed control provided by herbicides increased cantaloupe and watermelon yields over the nontreated control.
- Taxon
- Cantaloupe and watermelonCitrullus lanatusCucumis melo var. cantalupoe0
- Treatment
- weed control provided by herbicidese2
- Outcome
- yieldse2
- Direction
- increasede2
- Comparator
- nontreated controle3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cantaloupe and watermelon growers in the southeastern United States”
e2“Cantaloupe and watermelon yields were not affected by seedbed mulches, but were increased by weed control provided by herbicides”
e3“Herbicides improved control of all weeds over the nontreated control and this effect was independent of weed suppression provided by seedbed mulches”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbicides improved control of all weeds over the nontreated control.
- Taxon
- Cantaloupe and watermelonCitrullus lanatusCucumis melo var. cantalupoe0
- Treatment
- Herbicidese3
- Outcome
- control of all weedse3
- Direction
- improvede3
- Comparator
- nontreated controle3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cantaloupe and watermelon growers in the southeastern United States”
e3“Herbicides improved control of all weeds over the nontreated control and this effect was independent of weed suppression provided by seedbed mulches”
Claim · model-written summary
The herbicide effect on weed control was independent of weed suppression by seedbed mulches.
- Taxon
- Cantaloupe and watermelonCitrullus lanatusCucumis melo var. cantalupoe0
- Treatment
- seedbed mulchese3
- Outcome
- control of all weedse3
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cantaloupe and watermelon growers in the southeastern United States”
e3“Herbicides improved control of all weeds over the nontreated control and this effect was independent of weed suppression provided by seedbed mulches”
Claim · model-written summary
Rolled cotton fiber mulch was applied with a conventional mulch layer without tears or holes.
- Taxon
- Cantaloupe and watermelonCitrullus lanatusCucumis melo var. cantalupoe0
- Treatment
- Rolled cotton fiber mulche4
- Outcome
- tears or holese4
- Value
- no tears or holese4
- Comparator
- conventional mulch layere4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cantaloupe and watermelon growers in the southeastern United States”
e4“Rolled cotton fiber mulch was easily applied with a conventional mulch layer with no modification and minimal adjustment, producing no tears or holes”
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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.