Assessing the Impact of Mulching techniques on Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) Growth and productivity: A Comparative Analysis

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) is a commonly grown vegetable valued for both its economic and nutritional value. Sustainable farming methods, which maximize productivity while reducing environmental effects, have gained popularity in recent years. A field study was carried out to evaluate the effects of locally accessible mulching materials on the growth and yield of broccoli in comparison to black plastic mulch, straw mulch, and no mulch. Three treatments (T₀: no mulch; T₁: black plastic mulch; and T₂: straw mulch) and five replications made up the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) of the field layout. All growth and yield parameters showed significant differences, with the exception of stem diameter and chlorophyll. Treatment T₂ lead to the highest plant height (25.6cm), head diameter (15.8cm), leaf area breadth (17.7cm), head dry weight (140.24g), and stem diameter (3cm,) seen in the study. In Treatment T₁, the following parameters reached their maximum: the number of leaves, head fresh weight, root fresh weight, root dry weight, and root length. All other parameters had minimal values in Treatment T₀, with the exception of head fresh weight. All things considered, the control treatment performed the worst. The results of this experiment indicate that black plastic mulch is the best mulch in terms of broccoli growth and productivity.