Impact of Mulch on Water and Heat Stress in Pea (Pisum sativum) cultivation on the Central Peruvian Coast

Arana-Ochoa G.; García-Villanueva J. · Idesia (2025) · DOI: 10.4067/0718-3429-idesia-2025-43-e21

Resumen

Pea cultivation requires measures to counteract thermal and water stress resulting from climate change. Mulch is a soil covering used to reduce high temperatures and enhance moisture retention. This study was permitted to determine the role of mulch in reducing soil temperature, minimizing water loss from the soil–crop system, and evaluating its impact on crop yield. The experimental field covered 52.25 m2 and was located at the Alexander Von Humboldt Observatory of the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. The experimental design was a completely randomized block design (CRBD), which included two treatments: a control without mulch (T0), a treatment with lucuma leaf litter mulch (T1), and another with sawdust mulch (T2). The use of mulch helped reduce high temperatures, especially in T1, which showed a reduction of 7 °C at 2 cm depth, 6 °C lower at 10 cm, and 1 °C at 25 cm, compared to T0. Additionally, the depletion of freely available water occurred in three days in the mulch treatments, compared to two days in T0. The dry grain yield at 90 days after sowing was significantly higher in the mulch treatments, reaching approximately 1260 kg/ha, in contrast to T0, which obtained 481.5 kg/ha. It is concluded that the greatest reduction in high soil temperatures belonged to T1, the depletion of freely available water in the mulch treatments occurred in three days compared to two days in T0, and the mulch treatments demonstrated higher crop yield, with T1 standing out.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina