Effect of mulch weight on temperature, soil moisture and vegetative growth of Sigambiri Merah in lowlands

Abstract

Abstract Rice is staple food source for most Indonesians. However, highland rice development on dry land is regularly isolated by action makers who find it simple to development paddy construction. One of the cultivation techniques to achieve maximum production of upland rice in dry land is by modifying the microclimate in the roots zone using organic mulch. The study was carried out at the Experimental Farm of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, Sempali, Medan. The research method is a non-factorial randomized block design with three replications. Mulch thickness (M) used as treatment, consisted of without mulch (M0), 20 t/Ha (M1), 25 t/Ha (M2), and 30 t/Ha (M3). Observations were invented insanely by expansive two fragment for each analysis 28 days after planting (DAP). As a result, we found that multi-weight is efficient in reducing soil temperature and increasing soil moisture compared to without mulch, but there is no improvement in the vegetative growth of Sigambiri Merah because it was still in the early stages of rice growth.