Juan C. Díaz-Pérez and John Silvoy
Department of Horticulture, Tifton Campus,
University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793-0748

Abstract. Eggplant is a vegetable of increasing popularity in the U.S. The objectives were to determine the effects of plastic mulch color and mulch degradation on root zone temperature (RZT) and fruit yield in eggplant. The study was conducted in Tifton, Georgia, during the fall of 2005. Eggplant (‘Santana’) plants were grown according to the recommendations of the Extension Service of the Univ. of Georgia. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications and 20 treatments [plastic mulches (Ampacet, Atlanta, Ga.)] Plastic mulches were black (n=13), clear (n=4), and white (n=3) and differed in composition (type or concentration of UV light stabilizers). Plastic mulches showed significant differences in their integrity and deterioration. As early as one month after being laid, some of the mulches showed signs of deterioration. The highest RZT (29.93 C) was in one of the clear mulches and the lowest (25.97 C) was in one of the black mulches although, as an average, RZT was lower in white mulches than in black mulches. The average RZT in black mulches decreased with increasing level of mulch deterioration. Early marketable fruit yields [first four harvests) were highest in plants on white mulches (Table 2). High root zone temperatures under black and clear mulches were probably the cause of the reduced yields during the first four harvests. Eggplants may be negatively affected when exposed to high RZT conditions [mean seasonal RZT (soil depth = 10 cm) > ~28-29 C].

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