Evaluation of Recycled Paper Mulch for Vegetables as an Alternative to Plastic Film Mulch

Mulch is considered beneficial for controlling weeds, water conservation, and encouraging plant growth. However, not much research has been done on how pepper growth is affected by Kraft recycled paper mulch. For this reason, Field trials conducted in 2022 and 2023 aimed to investigate the effects of different mulches on morphological parameters of pepper plants, weed management, irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and soil temperature. Four mulches: wheat straw, kraft recycled paper as organic mulch (biodegradable mulch) and black polyethylene mulch, and transparent polyethylene, along with a control treatment (no mulch). Organic mulching variously improved soil temperature and pepper yield, and biochemical constituents, which are very important for pepper cultivation. Organic mulching managed the soil temperature, the daily soil temperature ranges of Kraft recycled paper and wheat straw treatments being 3°,2°C and 4°, 3°C lower than for bare land at soil depths 5 and 10 cm ,respectively. Results revealed that mulch treatments affected the weed biomass and weed percentage, which confirms that Mulch was effective for weed management, especially black polyethylene and kraft recycled paper. Also, compared to bare soil, mulch enables roots to spread and establish farther beyond the trunk at the rate of 21% and 24% at 75 DAS, so plants thus become more stable. Root enlargement and chemical quality of pepper fruits are most excellent under organic mulches compared to plastic or bare soil. Hence, Kraft recycled paper, as organic mulch that was used, might be a good substitute in this investigation for polyethylene mulch to control soil temperature, weeds, and irrigation water use efficiency in pepper production.