Effect of Mulching on Different Cultivars of Castor (Ricinus Communis L.) Under Conserved Soil Moisture Condition of Ghed Area
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/jefa.2026.21.2.25Keywords:
Ghed area, castor, mulching, conserved soil moisture, plastic mulchAbstract
A field experiment was conducted during the semi-rabi seasons of 2019–20 to 2021–22 at the Dry Farming Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Ratia (Ghed, Gujarat), to study the effect of mulching on growth, yield, and economics of castor (Ricinus communis L.) under conserved soil moisture conditions. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design replicated four times with four mulching treatments and two castor cultivars. Pooled results showed that silver black plastic mulch significantly improved growth and yield attributes and produced higher seed and stalk yields, though yield differences among mulching treatments were statistically non-significant. Cultivar GC-3 recorded significantly higher seed yield and better economic returns than GCH-9. Plastic mulch resulted in the highest gross and net returns, while absolute control recorded the highest benefit–cost ratio. The study suggests that plastic mulch with cultivar GC-3 enhances castor productivity under conserved soil moisture conditions.
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