Effect of different mulching materials on growth and yield of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)

A field experiment was conducted at Purkot daha, Gulmi, Nepal from October 2020 to March 2021 with an objective to assess the suitability of locally available mulching materials compared to the black plastic mulch and no mulch. The field was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications and five treatments viz., M0= Maize stalk, M¬1= twigs and leaves of needlewood tree, M2= twigs and leaves of eupatory, M3= Black plastic mulch, and M4= No mulch. The growth parameters were recorded at various days after transplanting (DAT) i.e., 20, 40, and 60 DAT, and the yield parameters were recorded at harvest. Significant differences were observed among various growth and yield parameters except for number of leaves, head polar and equatorial diameter. Maximum plant height i.e., 12.34 cm was observed in M0 at 20 DAT which was statistically similar with M3, 20.52 cm and 32.83 cm in M3 at 40 and 60 DAT respectively. Number of leaves (3.91, 5.42 & 8.58), stem diameter (0.42 cm, 0.59 cm & 1.08 cm), spread of plant (14.15 cm, 27.92 cm & 40.96 cm), length of large leaf (10.58 cm, 16.9 cm & 28.29 cm) and width of large leaf (5.7 cm, 9.76 cm & 17.49 cm) were recorded higher in M3 for overall period of data collection (the data enclosed in parenthesis indicate maximum values at 20, 40, and 60 DAT respectively). Similarly, yield parameters such as head equatorial diameter, head polar diameter, average head weight and yield were also recorded maximum in M3 as 12.46 cm, 11.53 cm, 205.5 gm and 13.69 MT/ha respectively. In overall, the control treatment performed the worst of all. The findings of this experiment suggest that the black plastic mulch gives best performance under field conditions at gulmi district of Nepal followed by organic mulches.