Growth and yield of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) cultivated under different mulching materials

In agricultural systems, mulching is important in soil conservation, moisture retention, and weed suppression, influencing crop growth and yield. This study investigates the efficacy of utilizing diverse mulching materials such as albizia sawdust, banana pseudo-stems, sunflower lopping, and gliricidia lopping in turmeric cultivation by evaluating their impact on crop yield and vegetative growth. Turmeric yield was significantly increased by gliricidia lopping (1928.4 g/plant) and albizia sawdust (1664.6 g/plant) compared to sunflower lopping (1212.8 g/plant), banana pseudo-stem (1061.9 g/plant), and the control (977.7 g/plant). All treatments showed significant positive correlations between fresh yield and the number of mother rhizomes, the number of primary and secondary fingers, and fresh canopy biomass. Only albizia sawdust did not increase plant height, but it increased the number of tillers significantly. Any mulching material did not affect the number of leaves and leaf width. The leaf blade length was significantly higher in the gliricidia lopping (64.4 cm) and banana pseudo-stem (62.2 cm). Petiole length was significantly different (p<0.05) between banana pseudo-stem mulch (41. 6 cm) and albizia sawdust mulch (37.5 cm). The number of mother rhizomes was significantly different in all treatments compared to controls. Banana pseudo-stem mulch indicated its ineffectiveness in promoting mother rhizome production and plant elongation. All mulching materials except sunflower mulch increased the number of primary fingers, secondary fingers, canopy biomass, and fresh yield per plant. In all treatments, including the control, the number of primary and secondary fingers per plant and canopy biomass were positively and significantly correlated with fresh yield (p=0.01). For optimal fresh turmeric yield, it is recommended to prioritize the use of gliricidia lopping as a mulching material, given its ability to produce the highest yield and exhibit strong positive correlations with critical growth parameters such as plant height and leaf width. Albizia sawdust mulching is an effective alternative, as it resulted in comparatively high fresh yield, with no significant difference observed between its yield and that of gliricidia lopping. This indicates flexibility for farmers based on availability and cost considerations of mulching materials.