Efficacy of mulches in conserving monsoonal moisture for the Rabi crops

A field experiment was carried out on red lateritic silty clay loam soils of Eastern Ghat high land zone to study the effectiveness of different mulching materials like Gliricidia leaves, grass and Lantana as in-situ moisture conservation techniques. After harvest of little millet (suan), the fields were immediately ploughed and the treatments were imposed in plots of 5m x 4m by applying the mulch materials after sowing rabi crops such as niger, wheat and gram. All the mulches were found to retain sufficient moisture to sustain these upland crops. The grass and Gliricidia mulches conserved highest moisture over the control (no mulch). However, among the mulch treatments, grass mulch conserved highest moisture followed by Gliricidia and Lantana. Further, Lantana mulch, being thorny and of repelling odour, kept off insect-pests and prevented the crops from damages by hares and wild rats. Gliricidia mulch with its rich nitrogen content contributed towards higher crop yields compared to grass and Lantana mulches.