The effect of the term of mulching and herbicides spraying on ‘Foxtrot’ tulip flowering and bulbs yield

Abstract

The experiment studied the effect of various mulching terms of ‘Foxtrot’ tulips with wheat straw in combination with spraying of plantations with herbicides using various doses and different amounts of working liquid. The mulch was laid out just after planting and after the soil had frozen. The experiment included combinations, in which the mulch was left until the end of the growing season or removed in spring. Spraying with single (linuron 675 g·ha–1 + lenacyl 1000 g·ha–1) or double herbicide dose (linuron 1350 g·ha–1 + lenacyl 2000 g·ha–1) was made before covering the soil with mulch and also on mulch – two weeks after planting the bulbs, or in the spring after thawing the soil. Volumes of 300 dm3 and 600 dm3 of working liquid were used for spraying. Tulips covered with mulch bloomed 2–3 days later and formed longer shoots as compared to non-mulched ones. The highest yield of marketable bulbs and the first-selection ones was obtained from tulips mulched immediately after planting and sprayed 2 weeks later with herbicides used in a single dose of 600 dm3 of a working liquid. Mulching of tulips after soil freezing and removal of mulch in spring adversely affects the number and weight of commercial bulbs. The lowest yield was obtained in combinations, in which the mulch was not used. The use of additional nitrogen fertilization before laying out the mulch did not affect the yield of tulips. Herbicides can be used both before mulching and after covering the plantation with mulch. It is not necessary to increase the dose of the agent and the amount of water.