Effect of Plastic Mulch Color on Leaf Anatomy of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Abstract

Two lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) varieties (Looseleaf and Romaine) were grown with five colored (silver, red, orange, yellow, green) plastic mulches to determine their effects on the leaf anatomical structure of lettuce. The experiment was laid in a Split Plot Randomized Completely Block Design. The result of the study showed that Romaine lettuce (8.80) had a higher number of stomata compared with Looseleaf (6.73) however; in terms of stomata length the Looseleaf had longer stomata (18.63 µm) compared with Romaine (16.42 µm). More stomata were observed in lettuce grown with red plastic mulch. However, the number of stomata did not differ among the various colored plastic mulches. Longer stomata were observed in lettuce grown with red plastic mulch, compared with lettuce grown with the other colored plastic mulches. The study showed that the color of the plastic mulch had a significant effect on the leaf anatomy of lettuce and red plastic mulch could be used to enhance the length of the stomata which may affect the growth of the lettuce.