Agricultural Water Management 128 (2013) 149–157

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Agricultural Water Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus, L.) water use efficiency (WUE) under

plastic mulch and drip irrigation
T. Yaghi a,∗ , A. Arslan a , F. Naoum b
a
The General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, GCSAR, Syria
b
Department of Rural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Aleppo University, Syria

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: To study the effect of two types of plastic mulch (transparent and black) with drip irrigation on water
Received 25 November 2012 requirement and Cucumber (Cucumis sativus, L.) yield, in addition to their effect on Maturity time. Trials
Accepted 1 June 2013 were carried out at Teezen Research Station, Hama Agricultural Research Center, GCSAR, Syria, dur-
ing 2009–2010 growing seasons using complete randomized block design with three replicates. Soil
Keywords: characteristics were followed too because they reflect the effects of plastic mulch. Treatments were
Drip irrigation
transparent mulched drip irrigation (DI + TM), black mulched drip irrigation (DI + BM), drip irrigation
Surface irrigation
without mulching (DI) and surface furrow irrigation (SI). The results of the study indicated that (DI + TM)
Plastic mulch
Yield
treatment excelled all other treatments at yield and water use efficiency (WUE), where its yield was
WUE 63.9 t ha−1 , and (WUE) was 0.262 t ha−1 mm−1 , while (DI + BM) treatment produced 57.9 t ha−1 , with a
Soil temperature (WUE) of 0.238 t ha−1 mm−1 . However cucumber yield and WUE declined in the remaining treatments of
no mulch (DI) and (SI) to reach 44.1 t ha−1 with 0.153 t ha−1 mm−1 and 37.7 t ha−1 with 0.056 t ha−1 mm−1 ,
respectively. The results showed that (DI + TM) treatment gave the highest soil temperature and moisture
during both of the seasons in comparison to (DI + BM). This enhanced its vegetative growth and almost
doubled its productivity compared to the SI treatment.
© 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.

1. Introduction influence growth and development. Availability of adequate

amount of moisture at critical stages of plant growth not only opti-
Cucumber demands high temperatures and soil moisture for mizes the metabolic process in plant cells but also increases the
satisfactory yield, and under unfavorable climatic conditions, sev- effectiveness of the mineral nutrients applied to the crop. Conse-
eral problems may occur, such as the reduction of female flowers quently any degree of water stress may produce deleterious effects
(Cantliffe, 1981), delay in fruit growth (Liebig, 1981; Marcelis and on growth and yield of the crop (Saif et al., 2003). Surface irrigation
Baan Hofman-Eijer, 1993; Medany et al., 1999) and mineral disor- method is most widely used all over the world (Mustafa et al.,
ders – (Bakker and Sonneveld, 1988). Therefore, planting is usually 2003).
made in the spring-summer season when the weather conditions In Syria cucumber is generally grown under conventional sur-
are favorable for plants growth and high yield could be achieved. face irrigation method too. In this method, the major proportion
Syria has abundant land resources but the irrigation water sup- of irrigation water is lost by surface evaporation, deep percolation
ply is much less for adequately exploiting the soil potentials. This and other loses, resulting in lower irrigation efficiencies. Moreover,
calls for adoption of advanced irrigation methods such as drip there is a tendency of farmers to apply excess water when it is
irrigation for effective use and management of the limited water available (Jain et al., 2000). Under limited water supply conditions
resources. farmers tend to increase irrigation interval, which creates water
Irrigation is an important limiting factor of crop yield, because stress resulting in low yields and poor quality.
it is associated with many factors of plant environment, which Drip irrigation, with its ability to provide small and frequent
water applications directly in the vicinity of the plant root zone
has attracted interest because of decreased water requirement and
possible increase in production (Darwish et al., 2003; Janat, 2003).
As the world increasingly becomes dependent on the production
of irrigated lands, irrigated agriculture faces serious challenges
that threaten its suitability. It is prudent to make efficient use of
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +963 11 5756012; fax: +963 11 5757992. water and bring more area under irrigation through available water
E-mail address: Tammam yaghi@Yahoo.com (T. Yaghi). resources. This can be achieved by introducing advanced methods

0378-3774 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2013.06.002
150 T. Yaghi et al. / Agricultural Water Management 128 (2013) 149–157

Table 1
Some selected soil chemical and physical properties.

Depth (cm) pH 1:5 EC (dS m−1 ) Avail-P (mg/kg) Avail-K (mg/kg) Mineral-N (mg/kg) CaCO3 % OM% Sand% Silt% Clay% Soil texture

0–30 7.8 0.22 9.5 507.5 2.97 5.66 0.77 14 15 71

Clay (Vertisol)
30–60 7.8 0.21 5.3 350 3.28 5.44 0.59 13 16 71

P, phosphorus; K, potassium; N, nitrogen.

of irrigation and improved water management practices (Zaman 15 cm. Neutron probe was calibrated in the field by correlating neu-
et al., 2001). Among the water management practices for increas- tron probe count ratio with volumetric water content measured by
ing water use efficiency WUE one of them is mulching. Any material gravimetric method and bulk density.
spread on the surface of soil to protect it from solar radiation or A 125 cm neutron probe tubes were installed near the center
evaporation is called mulch. Different types of materials like wheat of each plot between two plants and distanced 15, 30, 45, 60 and
straw, rice straw, plastic film, grass, wood, sand etc. are used as 75 cm from irrigation line. Moisture readings were taken at 15 cm
mulches. They moderate soil temperature and increase water infil- depth intervals before and after each irrigation for determination
tration during intensive rain (Gajri et al., 1994; Khurshid et al., of change in soil water storage and deep water percolation which
2006). below the root zone over time.
A large number of experiments have been conducted to study SURFER 8 software was used to graph the readings after obtain-
the effect of drip irrigation and plastic mulch on yield improvement ing the calibration curve. Irrigation scheduling was based on the
of many crops in different agro-climatic region and soil condition. calibrated neutron probe readings, whereas irrigation was applied
About 20–60% higher yields were obtained with drip irrigation in at 85% of field capacity according to the effective roots distribution
some studies (Sivanappan et al., 1974), while in other studies yield zone.
was reported to be slightly lower or equal to that of conventional Gross water requirement (IRg ) for each plot was controlled by
irrigation (Doss and Evans, 1980) along with reduction in irrigation the special valve set for that plot, and the exact amounts used were
requirement of 30–60%. read on a flow meter. The net irrigation requirement (IRn ) must
Cucumber is also suited to drip irrigation in combination with replenish the actual crop evapotranspiration water (ETa), as rainfall
plastic mulch, but little work has been done to study the effects and other components of the water balance. The gross irrigation
of drip irrigation and plastic mulch on crop yield and WUE of requirements (IRg ) must increase the (IRn ), in order to compensate
cucumber in semiarid lands of Syria. The present investigation was the irrigation efficiency and to leach salts:
planned to determine the effects of drip irrigation and plastic mulch
on cucumber yield and WUE, in addition to their effects on the fate IRn
IRg = .
of water in the soil section. Ea(1 − LR)

where Ea: irrigation efficiency coefficient (smaller than 1) and

2. Materials and methods expresses the ratio: water stored in the crop root zone to be used
by the crop/applied water (Jitan, 2012).LR: minimum amount of
The field experiments were carried out during two successive leaching needed to control salts with drip irrigation which equals
growth seasons of 2009 and 2010, at Teezen research station, Agri- to zero in study region.
cultural Research Center, Hama, Syria. The site was located at 307 ETa (mm/day), was estimated using the following form of the
altitude, 35.1◦ N latitude and 36.5◦ E longitude. Where the summers water balance equation (Castilla, 1990; Burba and Verma, 2005;
are dry and hot, while winters are cold. Simonne and Dukes, 2010):
The soil of the experimental plot can be classified as red clay

Vertisol with bulk density in the upper 30 cm of 1.15 g/cm3 and the D(Vi − Vf )
under layer till 60 cm was 1.17 g/cm3 . ETa =
days
Composite soil samples (0–30 and 30–60 cm) were collected
before planting indicated that pH was 7.8, and available phospho- where ( vi −  vf ): is the change in volumetric soil water content
rus were poor, while it had rich content of available potassium. between two measurement dates, D (mm): is the thickness of soil
Some physical and chemical soil properties are given in Table 1. layer.
Cucumber seed (Cucumis sativus, L., “F1 Hybrid prince”) were Data were calculated as the sum of the daily evaporation from
sown manually in holes on June 10th 2009–2010, on one side of class-A open-pan installed nearby the experimental plots. Refer-
each furrow by keeping row-to-row and plant-to-plant distance ence crop evapotranspiration (ET0 ) values were calculated based on
1.5 m and 40 cm, respectively. FAO Penman–Monteith method. The crop coefficient, Kc for cucum-
The layout of the experiment was a completely randomized ber was basically determined by the ratio of the crop ETc to the
block design with three replications for each of the four treat- reference ET0 , whereas: Kc = ETc /ET0 (FAO, 1998).
ments tested, [transparent mulched drip irrigation (DI + TM), black The irrigation was carried out by a drip system of key Clipped
mulched drip irrigation (DI + BM), drip irrigation without mulching emitters (4 l/h) spaced 40 cm apart, by each plant, on 16 mm (ID) lat-
(DI) and surface furrow irrigation without mulch (SI)] as shown in erals, one per row of cucumber. The emitters operate at a pressure
(Fig. 1). of 100 KPa, which was controlled with bypass arrangement.
The experimental area was 4800 m2 , divided into three blocks. The used plastic mulch was black polyethylene (40 ␮m)
Each block consisted of four plots, 4.5 m × 40 m each. A border of for (DI + BM), and clear transparent polyethylene (100 ␮m) for
three meter separated both the blocks and plots. Each plot had three (DI + TM).
rows, 1.5 m apart and 40 m long, In order to prevent the water in Fertilizers were applied according to soil test results and Min-
any one plot from affecting its neighboring plots. In both grow- istry of Agric. and Agra. Reform (MAAR) recommended levels
ing seasons, moldboard plow and disk harrow were used for tillage of N (250 kg ha−1 ), P (150 kg ha−1 ) and K (350 kg ha−1 ) as urea
operations and a furrower was used for making furrows (40 m long, (46% N), triple supper phosphate (46% TSP) and K2 SO4 (46% SOP),
75 cm wide and 50 cm deep) in the SI treatment. Soil moisture was respectively, using Dosatron injector in drip system, or manually
determined using neutron probe (Troxler, 4300) for depth below spreading immediately before irrigation for SI treatment. All other
 T. Yaghi et al. / Agricultural Water Management 128 (2013) 149–157 151

Fig. 1. Layout of cucumber experiment and irrigation system at Teezen research station, Hama, Syria.

Table 2
Irrigation interval, Da (days); net irrigation requirements, IRn (mm); gross irrigation requirements, IRg (mm), and number of irrigations, N, for the study treatments, as average
during months of the both of growing seasons (June 10 until September 10).

Treatment DI + TM DI + BM DI SI

Month Da IRn IRg Da IRn IRg Da IRn IRg Da IRn IRg

3.8 4.1 3.5 3.9 4.1 4.5 20.7 49.8

3.7 4.0 3.9 4.2 3.7 4.1 19.2 40.9
5 6 4 6
June 3.9 4.2 3.8 4.1
4.0 4.3 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.6 22.1 41.2
N=4 N=3 N=5 3.6 3.9 N=3

5.3 5.8 5.2 5.6 3.9 4.2 17.3 43.6

5.0 5.4 5.3 5.6 5.2 5.6 16.2 40.1
14.6 15.8 5.5 5.9 5.6 6.0 19.8 40.9
4 5 4 6
July 14.6 16.2 14.0 15.3 5.7 6.1 32.4 48.8
13.8 14.9 14.6 16.0 13.8 14.8
18.5 20.2 14.9 16.2 14.0 15.4 33.8 52.1
N=7 17.8 19.0 N=6 N=7 14.6 15.7 N=5

16.8 18.0 16.8 18.1 18.6 20.2 31.2 51.6

16.5 17.8 16.5 18.2 18.2 19.6 35.4 53.6
17.5 19.0 17.5 19.0 16.5 17.6 32.4 56.1
18.2 19.4 17.8 19.6 16.2 17.8 30.0 45.0
5 4 3 6
August 18.8 20.5 16.2 17.6 17.8 19.4
17.8 19.4 14.9 16.3
15.5 17.1 29.4 51.7
14.9 16.5
15.8 16.9 15.8 17.4
N=6 N=7 N=9 17.8 19.2 N=5

17.2 18.5 5 17.5 19.2 4 15.2 16.8 7 33.0 56.1

September
N=1 N=2 17.5 19.2 N=2 17.5 19.2 N=1

Total N = 18 224.9 243.6 N = 18 224.1 244 N = 23 265.8 289.4 N = 14 372.8 671.5

152 T. Yaghi et al. / Agricultural Water Management 128 (2013) 149–157

Fig. 2. Diagrams of water content in soil after drip irrigation such as (wetting bulb) compared with irrigation water distribution pattern after surface furrow irrigation.

necessary operations such as pest and weed controls were per- cucumber was 671.5 mm in the (SI) treatment while the minimum
formed according to general local practices and recommendations. amount was 243.6 mm in the DI + TM treatment as average during
Mercury thermometers were installed at the surface of soil, at both of growing seasons as shown in Table 2.
the 5 cm soil depth and at the 10 cm soil depth in two replicates of It was noted almost similar to net or gross irrigation require-
each treatment, i.e., a total of 24 thermometers. Temperature was ments and also number of irrigations (N = 18) in the DI + TM and
recorded from 10 June (planting date) till the end of the season. DI + BM treatments. While those parameters were high in non-
Measurements were taken each two hours of the day on two days mulched treatments to reach IRn = 265.8 mm, IRg = 289.4 mm and
a week. Air temperature was taken from a nearby weather station. number of irrigations N = 23 for (DI) treatment.
The yield (t ha−1 ) from each plot was recorded in each pick, These results are also in agreement with those of Tiwari et al.
and the effectiveness of cucumber in using water during its com- (2002), Samuel and Singh (2003), Ertek et al. (2006) and Zotarelli
plete growth period is generally described in terms of WUE and is et al. (2009).
expressed as the ratio of total crop yield to the total depth of water
applied to crop including effective rainfall during its complete
growth period (Steyn et al., 2000; Oweis, 2012): WUE = CY/WA, 3.2. Water movement in the soil
where WUE = water use efficiency, t ha−1 mm−1 . CY = total crop
yield, t ha−1 . WA = total depth of water applied, mm. Data on The irrigation water was applied to compensate the water
cucumber yield and water use efficiency (WUE) were recorded by deficiency of the root zone soil (0.30 m) in the first stage and
using standard procedures, and were statistically analyzed. Means the root zone soil (0.60 m) after, according to FAO (1998) for
were separated with the LSD0.05 and LSD0.01 using GenStat 7 pro- cucumber effective roots distribution zone, and monitored in
gram. 0.30 depths increment to 0.90 m after irrigation for each treat-
ment. Monitoring the soil water content in the drip irrigated
plots revealed that infiltration below 0.90 m depths was neg-
3. Results and discussion ligible especially in mulched plots compared with that of SI
plots.
3.1. Water applied Fig. 2 shows the soil water contents measured by Neutron probe
before and after irrigation drawn by SURFER 8 software. These
Before planting, 25 mm irrigation water was applied to all treat- readings indicate that plastic mulching has a pronounced effect on
ments to bring the soil water content in 0–60 cm soil depth up to drip irrigation effectiveness through the good estimation of wetting
level of field capacity. bulb’s dimensions under the dripper and understanding its mois-
Irrigation schedule were started measuring of soil water content ture changes in place and time, whereas the use of drip irrigation
by neutron probe. The maximum amount of water applied to the with plastic mulch reduced both of evaporation from soil surface
 T. Yaghi et al. / Agricultural Water Management 128 (2013) 149–157 153

Table 3
Water applied, yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of different treatments (mean of 2009 and 2010).

Parameters Treatments F test LSD++

DI + TM DI + BM DI SI .05 .01

Water applied (mm) 243.6 244 289.4 671.5

Yield (t ha−1 ) 63.9 57.8 44.1 37.7 *
2.79 4.23
WUE (t ha−1 mm−1 ) 0.262 0.238 0.153 0.056 *
0.011 0.016

LSD++ : The least significant difference.

*
The significant difference at 1% level.

and water distribution area in soil away from the lines of irrigation, Table 4
Actual evapotranspiration ETa (mm), and length of cucumber growth stages, Lg
which has extreme effect on irrigation water distribution pattern,
(days), as average in the both of growing seasons (Jun10 until Sep10).
root distribution, efficiency of the fertilizers, water use and ulti-
mately on the cucumber production quantity and quality, These ETa (mm) Lg (days) DI + TM DI + BM DI SI
results are also in agreement with those of ICARDA (2000) and Init. (Lini ) 3 5 10 37
Pawar et al. (2002). 3 5 10 11
Surface furrow irrigation reduces irrigation frequency from one Dev. (Ldev ) 31 31 34 99
29 31 30 28
irrigation every few days as drip system to one every week which
Mid. (Lmid ) 161 160 180 207
reduced the productivity 17% compared with (DI) treatment, and 51 47 43 44
attributed to the large ranges of soil moisture of the rooting zone. Late. (Llate ) 18 18 22 30
Similar data were reported by Wang et al. (2006). The results 10 10 10 10
Total 213 214 246 373
showed that the highest soil moisture values were recorded with
93 93 93 93
transparent plastic mulch and black polyethylene mulch compared
to bare soil. Generally, all mulches increased weekly measurements
of soil moisture and water use efficiency. These results were agreed
with those obtained by Farias-Larios et al. (1994a,b), Salman et al. method was 59% of the DI + TM treatment. These results are also
(1991a) and Weber (2000). Therefore, the different types of mulch in agreement with those of Doss and Evans (1980), Drost and
lead to increasing the soil moisture due to decreased of evapora- Hefelbower (2004), Kirnak and Demirtas (2006), Ngouajio et al.
tion from soil surface compared to bare soil. So, mulches finding (2006) and Seyfi and Rashidi (2007). Results indicated that non-
favorable soil environmental conditions and had a positive effect mulched treatments (DI and SI) received an average of 246 mm
on growth of cucumber plants and contributed to increasing vege- and 373 mm, respectively to produce 44.1 t ha−1 and 37.7 t ha−1
tative growth and yield. cucumber, respectively, whereas treatments with transparent and
Table 2 and Fig. 2 can help us to derive that applied drip irrigation black plastic mulching consumed an average of 213 mm and
effectiveness for DI + TM, DI + BM and DI was 92% while it decreases 214 mm water, respectively and yielded average of 63.9 t ha−1 and
to 57% for SI. The percent of water use reduction was 64%, 65% 57.8 t ha−1 . These results support those of Wien et al. (1993), who
and 57% for DI + TM, DI + BM and DI, respectively, compared with showed that increased tomato growth and yield by polyethylene
SI. These results are also in agreement with those of Louise et al. mulching is a consequence of enhanced root growth and nutrient
(1999), Patel and Patel (2001) and Ghorbani (2003). uptake early in the season.
Statistical analyses using the F-test were carried out. LSD at
.01 and .05 levels was also determined. As shown in Table 3, the
3.3. Water use efficiency (WUE) and yield results surely showed significant differences in yield and WUE
between treatments at .01 level, whereas transparent mulch with
The present study shows the effects of drip irrigation and plas- drip irrigation exceeded all the treatments of the study in the order
tic mulch on crop water requirement and WUE. The results of the DI + TM > DI + BM > DI > SI. Similar data were reported by Diaz-Perez
study indicated that DI + TM treatment markedly decreased the and Batal (2002), Simms et al. (2005) and Waterer et al. (2008).
amounts of applied water in the order DI + TM ≤ DI + BM < DI < SI and
increased WUE in the order DI + TM > DI + BM > DI > SI. The highest
WUE (0.262 t ha−1 mm−1 ) was obtained for the DI + TM treatment 3.4. Consumptive water use (actual crop evapotranspiration, ETa)
because this treatment consumed about 64% and 16% less water
than the SI and DI treatments respectively, and produced compar- ETa (mm) for each treatment was calculated during various
atively higher yield. cucumber growth stages. It is noted that SI consumed more water
The lowest WUE (0.056 t ha−1 mm−1 ) realized for the SI treat- than DI which in turn consumed more than DI + BM or DI + TM,
ment can be ascribed to the fact that the 175% more water was which had similar values, as shown in Table 4. Similar data were
applied to this treatment than the DI + TM, while yield of the SI reported by Battikhi and Ghawi (1987).

Table 5
Average monthly solar radiation, minimum and maximum temperature, rainfall, wind, evaporation from pan and ET0 during both of experimental seasons.

Month Solar (h/d) Temp (◦ C) Rainfall (mm) Wind (m/s) Epan (mm) ET0 a (mm)

Max. Min.

Jun 13 33 22 0 2.2 214 152

July 13 35 26 0 3.2 323 248
Aug 12 35 25 0 1.9 273 199
Sep 11 32 23 0 1.9 73 52
Total seasonal 883 657
a
FAO Penman–Monteith method, Jun. 10–30. . . Until Sep 10.
154 T. Yaghi et al. / Agricultural Water Management 128 (2013) 149–157

Fig. 3. Cucumber crop coefficient curves at Teezen research station, Hama.

It is also explained that drip irrigation system with plastic evaporation. The values of soil temperature under transparent
mulches (black and transparent) substantially prevent the evapo- mulch were higher than those under the black mulch. These trans-
ration from the soil surface. Associated with the reduction in evap- parent plastic mulch may permit warming of 6.4, 5.9 and 5.6 ◦ C
oration is a general increase in transpiration from cucumber leaves to a depths of 0 cm (soil surface), 5 cm and 10 cm, whereas black
caused by the transfer of both sensible and radiative heat from the plastics permit warming of 3.1, 2.7 and 2.4 ◦ C at the same previous
surface of the plastic cover to adjacent vegetative leaves. Evapora- depths compared to the treatments without mulching. Using
tion increased especially during the first weeks after transplanting mulch types (transparent and black) enhanced soil temperature.
where plants did not have enough canopies to shade the soil. Plas-
tic mulches directly affect the microclimate around the plant by
modifying the radiation budget (absorptivity vs. reflectivity) of the
surface and decreasing the soil water loss. These results are also in
agreement with those of Jenni et al. (2000), Orzolek (2000), Orzolek
et al. (2003), El-Nemr (2006) and Korir et al. (2006). Table 5 shows
the climatic data as average during both of experimental seasons.
It also shows potential evaporation rates from class A pan which
sets near field and reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0 ) values
were calculated based on FAO Penman–Monteith method.
It was noted that (ET0 ) values reached the maximum value
during July. And also Actual evapotranspiration (ETa) started to
increase from the date of sowing till midseason stage and reached
maximum in July and August then declined again at the end of mid
and late season stages in September as shown in Table 4.

3.5. Crop coefficient

The crop coefficient (Kc ) values decreased by an average of 35%

due to use drip irrigation with plastic mulch which reduced soil
evaporation compared with non-mulched treatments (DI and SI),
as shown in (Fig. 3). These results are in agreement with those of
Safadi (1991), Vickers (2001) and Mata et al. (2002). Also when we
compared it with cucumber crop coefficient values given in Allen
et al. (1998), we noted that the Kc values almost similar to ones
which were calculated in SI treatment.

3.6. Soil temperature

Soil temperature was measured at soil surface and two depths

5 and 10 cm, each 2 h, respectively during day, twice a week. The
results are presented as average during both of seasons (Fig. 4).
Average air temperatures were generally higher than soil temper-
atures which measured at depths of un-mulched treatments. It
reached a minimum during both of the second and third quarters
of June of 22 ◦ C at 6 a.m., and 33 ◦ C at 14 p.m. It increased to a
maximum of 26 ◦ C in the morning and 35 ◦ C in the afternoon in
July. Air temperatures remained higher than soil temperatures at
all depths in previous treatments except in both of DI + TM and
DI + BM treatments. The values of soil temperature with mulching
are much higher than those of soil without mulching. This may Fig. 4. Average of soil temperature under mulched and unmulched cucumber at the
be owing to mulching prevents cooling of the soil surface due to surface of soil and two depths 5 and 10 cm.
 T. Yaghi et al. / Agricultural Water Management 128 (2013) 149–157 155

transparent plastic mulch increased soil temperature more than low. In the present study, effects of drip irrigation and plastic
black mulch especially during the first weeks after transplanting mulch on water applied and WUE was investigated. The results of
where plants did not have enough canopies to shade the soil. The the study indicated that DI + TM and DI + BM treatments markedly
degree on contact between the mulch and soil, often quantified as decreased water applied in the order of DI + TM < DI + BM < DI < SI
a thermal contact resistance, can affect greatly the performance of and increased WUE in the order of DI + TM > DI + BM > DI > SI. The
mulch. If an air space is created between the plastic mulch and the DI + TM treatment attained the highest WUE of 0.262 t ha−1 mm−1 .
soil by a rough soil surface, soil warming can be less effective than The lowest WUE (0.056 t ha−1 mm−1 ) realized for the SI treat-
would be expected from particular mulch. ment These results are also in agreement with those of Jain et al.
Sunlight passes through the transparent plastic and heats the (2000), who concluded that drip irrigation and plastic mulch
soil. A layer of water underneath the plastic retains the radiant heat markedly affects applied water and water use efficiency. Refer-
at night through what is known as a greenhouse effect. Black plastic ence crop evapotranspiration (ET0 ) value was calculated based
mulch absorbs most of the sunlight and becomes greatly warmed, of Penman–Monteith method, which was recorded the maxi-
and little energy passes through to warm the soil. These results sup- mum value during July. Actual evapotranspiration (ETa) started to
port those of Ham and Kluitenberg (1994), Waterer (1999, 2000), increase from the date of sowing till Midseason stage and became
Tarara (2000), Lamont (2005) and Ngouajio and Ernest (2005) who maximum in July and August then again reduced in the last Matu-
showed that transparent mulch absorbs only 5% of short-wave radi- rity and harvest stage in September. The crop coefficient (Kc ) values
ation, reflects only 11%, but transmits 84% of short-wave radiation, decreased by an average of 35% due to use drip irrigation with
whereas surface temperatures do not reach the levels found on mulch. The percent of water use reduction was 65%, 64% and 57%
black plastic due to their low absorption rates of short-wave radia- for the transparent mulched drip irrigation, black mulched drip
tion. That means that transparent plastics actually heat the soil by irrigation and no mulch drip irrigation, respectively compared to
transmitting light to the soil surface rather than conducting heat the furrow surface irrigation treatment.
like dark plastics. While differently Liakatas et al. (1986) and Ham Results also indicated that plastic mulch generally raised soil
et al. (1993) explained that laying transparent mulch loosely across temperature, whereas transparent plastic mulch raised the limits
the soil creates an insulating air gap between the mulch and soil that of the soil temperature (6.4, 5.9 and 5.6) ◦ C respectively at the sur-
results in higher daytime temperatures under transparent plastic face of soil, at the 5 cm soil depth and at the 10 cm soil depth. While
than black plastic mulch. Then, if clear plastic is laid tightly across black plastic mulch raised the limits of the soil temperature (3.1,
the bed, its effects will be minimized and, in this situation, black 2.7 and 2.4) ◦ C respectively at the same previous soil depth, com-
plastic laid tightly across the bed would be more effective at heating pared with both irrigation treatments without mulching, which
the soil. enhanced Cucumber vegetative growth and significantly increased
its productivity limits of (70%, 53% and 17%) for all drip irrigation
treatments (transparent plastic mulch, black plastic mulch and
3.7. Earlier production (precocity) and weed control
without mulch), compared to the surface furrow irrigation treat-
ment. whereas transparent plastic mulch raises soil temperature;
Plastic mulches raise soil temperature in the planting bed which
however, black plastic is advantageous for weed control. As if there
promotes faster crop development and earlier yields. Whereas ger-
are benefits of plastic mulch, there are also some problems such as
mination dates for DI + TM, DI + BM, DI and SI were on June 13,
removing the plastic mulch after the cropping season is the biggest
15, 20 and 21, respectively, maturity dates were on July 9, 13, 22
disadvantage. Little pieces of plastic can scatter across a field. Many
and 27 at the same previous arrangement. Also it is associated
landfills also will not accept plastic, and it is difficult to recycle. The
with the best vegetative growth and significantly increased pro-
cost of applying plastic mulch can be quite high both in terms of
ductivity limits of (70%, 53% and 17%) for DI + TM, DI + BM and DI
materials and equipment. With drip irrigation, managing plastic
compared with the SI treatment. Increased yield could be largely
mulch is more intense. Wilting plants could mean a plugged drip
attributed to the increase in soil temperature due to application
line, while overly wet areas could mean rodent damage to the lines.
of plastic mulch which resulted in an enhancement of soil envi-
Drip line problems are hard to evaluate when covered with mulch.
ronment around roots of cucumber plants, which led to increasing
Although that, we suggest popularization of these study to include
plant growth and, hence, increasing nutrients uptake. Hence, ear-
other crops that more profit for farmers such squash, pepper and
lier production and higher total yield was obtained. These results
tomato, and hope use other many colors of plastic mulch and exam-
were in line with those obtained by Wien and Menotti (1987) and
ination them effect on water use efficacy (WUE), and Potential to
Farias-Larios et al. (1994b). The results reported that the great-
double-crop plastic mulch (see Waterer et al., 2008). We advise use
est total yield of cucumber plants was obtained with transparent
organic mulch also such as rice, wheat and barley straws and do not
polyethylene mulch followed by black polyethylene and then by
advice use of plastic mulch on potatoes which planted in Autumn
drip irrigation without mulching. This effect was statistically sig-
season because of high soil temperatures under plastic mulch will
nificant in both seasons. The unmulched plots were hand-weeded
destroyed potato nodes (see Wang et al., 2004).
four times over the growing season. No effort was made to con-
Last but not least, Drip irrigation significantly increased crop
trol weeds in the mulched plots. Although, clear plastic mulch may
yield of Cucumber and improved WUE due to consumption of less
result in an increase in soil temperature, the presence of light led
water. However, integrated use of drip irrigation and plastic mulch
to the disadvantage of weed growth, while the absence of light
was more appropriate and profitable. Therefore, drip irrigation in
with black plastic did not allow photosynthesis of weeds under the
combination with plastic mulch especially (transparent mulch) was
film and therefore weed growth was suppressed. This result was in
found to be more effective irrigation method in improving WUE and
agreement with that found by Lamont (1999, 2001).
increasing crop yield of cucumber.

4. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
With growing water demand and increasing signs of water
scarcity, there is an urgent need to achieve higher output per unit of The authors are thankful for the support and encouragement of
water consumed. Fortunately, there is ample scope to improve crop Prof. M. Nayef Al Salti the DG of the General Commission for Scien-
water productivity, particularly in areas where yields are currently tific Agricultural Research in Syria (GCSAR), the support of the WLI
156 T. Yaghi et al. / Agricultural Water Management 128 (2013) 149–157

(Water and Livelihoods’ Initiative), an USAID funded project for the Korir, N., Aguyoh, K., Gaqiong, J.N., 2006. Enhanced growth and yield of greenhouse
Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria Yemen). produced cucumber under high altitude areas of Kenya. Agricultural Tropical
and Subtropical 39 (4), 249–254.
Dr. Vinay Nangia and Dr. Theib Oweis, (ICARDA), Dr. Farouk Odeim Lamont, W.J., 2005. Plastics: modifying the microclimate for the production of veg-
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