Abstract
Plastic mulches are frequently used by both large‐ and small‐scale tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Miller) growers to conserve water, control weeds, and keep fruit clean. We hypothesized that changing mulch color to reflect more red light (R) and a higher far‐red (FR) to R photon ratio (FR/R) would keep those benefits and improve tomato yield by altering phytochrome‐mediated regulation of photosynthate allocation. Photodegradable and nondegradable forms of red plastic mulch were developed to our specifications. Number, size, and total fruit produced over the red plastic mulches were compared with those over standard black plastic. Photodegradable red mulch (placed over a layer of black plastic) increased fruit yield while it was intact, but yield dropped to that of the black control after the red plastic degraded. Nondegradable red plastic resulted in greater yield. Early crop yield advantage of red mulch was evident whether it was placed directly over soil or over a layer of black plastic. We conclude that increased tomato yield over the new red plastic mulch was caused by reflection of FR to the growing plants and its subsequent phytochrome‐mediated regulation of photosynthate allocation to developing fruit.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Photodegradable red mulch increased fruit yield while intact, then yield fell to the black control level after degradation.
- Taxon
- Tomato
Solanum lycopersicumt0 - Treatment
- Photodegradable red mulche0
- Outcome
- fruit yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- while it was intacte0
- Comparator
- black controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Photodegradable red mulch (placed over a layer of black plastic) increased fruit yield while it was intact, but yield dropped to that of the black control after the red plastic degraded”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Nondegradable red plastic produced greater tomato yield.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Nondegradable red plastice0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nondegradable red plastic resulted in greater yield”
t0“Tomato over Red Mulch”
Claim · model-written summary
Red mulch gave an early crop yield advantage whether directly over soil or over black plastic.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- red mulche0
- Outcome
- crop yielde0
- Direction
- advantagee0
- Qualifier
- whether it was placed directly over soil or over a layer of black plastice0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Early crop yield advantage of red mulch was evident whether it was placed directly over soil or over a layer of black plastic”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed increased tomato yield over red mulch to far-red reflection and phytochrome-mediated allocation to fruit.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- red plastic mulche0
- Outcome
- tomato yielde0
- Qualifier
- reflection of FR to the growing plants and its subsequent phytochrome‐mediated regulation of photosynthate allocation to developing fruite0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased tomato yield over the new red plastic mulch was caused by reflection of FR to the growing plants and its subsequent phytochrome‐mediated regulation of photosynthate allocation to developing fruit”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
183 papers in the same direction as this paper · 17 in the opposite direction · 9 reporting no difference from an alternative
- no effect
- negative
- no effect
206 papers more in this group
See all 210 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.