Effects of Color Plastic Mulches and Row Cover on the Yield and Quality of Sweet Potato [Ipomea batatas cv. ‘Beauregard’]

Abstract

Sweet potato [Ipomea batatas ‘Beauregard’] was grown on an Orangeburg sandy loam soil in Shorter AL. Sweet potato slips were planted in single rows. The experiment consisted of twelve experimental treatments as follows: (1) black plastic mulch (BPM) + spun-bonded row cover (RC), (2) BPM, (3) white plastic mulch (WPM) + RC, (4) WPM, (5) red plastic mulch (RPM) + RC, (6) RPM, (7) bare soil (BS) + RC, (8) BS, (9) silver plastic mulch (SPM) + RC, (10) SPM, (11) blue plastic mulch (BLUPM) + RC, (12) BLUPM. Soil temperatures were 6°F lower than above mulch temperatures in all treatments. Both early root yield and total root yield were different among the treatments with SPM + RC being the highest, followed by RPM. However, RPM treatments exhibited the highest nutritional properties in sweet potato roots when compared to other treatments. Further studies need to be perform to have a better understanding of the effects on yield and nutritional qualities of vegetable crops grown with row covers and various colored plastic mulches.