The effect of planting date and mulching of straw and stubble on the growth and yield of local beans of Gilan

Academic thesis for obtaining a master's degree

Agricultural engineering field, agriculture orientation

Abstract

In order to determine the appropriate planting date and investigate the effect of mulch application on the growth and yield of experimental beans in the form of randomized complete block design with three replications per year 2013 crop was carried out in the research farm located in Hasan Abad village of Kuchsafhan. The test factors included planting date in three levels (3rd, 10th and 17th of May) and two levels of using straw and stubble mulch and not using straw and stubble mulch. The investigated characteristics were: the number of green pods, the number of green seeds, the number of dry seeds, the number of dry pods, the number of flowers, the number of root nodes, the percentage of weed coverage, relative humidity of the soil, the yield of dry pods, the yield of dry seeds, the biological yield, the harvest index, the degree of fertility, the weight of 100 seeds, the relative content of leaf water. The results of analysis of variance showed that the effect of planting date was significant for all traits except the number of green pods and weed percentage. The effect of mulch was also significant for all traits except the number of green seeds, number of flowers, biological yield and fruiting degree. The interaction effect of planting date × mulch was significant for the traits of number of dry seeds, number of root nodes, number of leaves, weed percentage, dry seed yield, biological yield and fruiting degree. Comparison of the average of investigated traits showed that the first planting date had a greater effect than other planting dates. The use of straw and stubble mulch effectively increased the evaluated traits. Based on the results obtained, the first planting date and the use of mulch had a greater effect on the growth and yield of beans in this region.

Key words: date of planting, yield, beans, mulch

         Two thirds of the inhabitants of the earth are facing food poverty and malnutrition. The most important nutritional deficiency is related to protein deficiency. In backward and developing countries, due to the lack of animal protein sources and economic poverty, the protein needs of humans are met from plant sources, especially legumes (Nakhzari Moghadam and Ramroudi, 2012). Beans are one of the oldest sources of human food, which is particularly important among legumes due to its easy digestion, good nutritional value, and high protein content (Lake et al., 2008). Increasing production in agriculture is mainly done either through increasing the area under cultivation or increasing the yield per unit area. Planting time is one of the most important agricultural factors affecting the yield and other characteristics of any crop plant, and the most suitable planting time for each plant is when the soil has the appropriate moisture and temperature necessary for seed growth (Shabti et al., 2012). Achieving high seed yield in beans is one of the main goals of this plant cultivation, which can be achieved by changing genetic, environmental and management factors and their interaction. Among the management factors, planting date is an important factor that affects the quantitative and qualitative performance of beans by affecting the duration of the vegetative and reproductive growth period and their ratio. Timely planting of beans causes the flowering time to meet the appropriate temperature and as a result, more pods and seeds are formed. Appropriate planting date also optimizes the length of the growth period and the expansion of the vegetative organs and increases the potential of transferring photosynthetic materials to storage parts such as seeds. However, the delay in planting, along with shortening the vegetative growth period, causes premature flowering of the plant, which in turn will result in a decrease in dry matter accumulation, a decrease in the number of pods and branches in the plant, and finally, a decrease in yield (Shafarodi et al., 2011). Drought is the main environmental stress and the most important factor limiting the production of crops worldwide. For this purpose, mulch is used as a protection for plants and protects them from extreme changes in soil temperature and loss of ground water. Mulch is one of the good management techniques that can preserve the soil environment and reduce weed infestation (Khanek et al., 2013). In this method, the soil is covered with biological materials (straw and stubble, plant residues, tree leaves, etc.) or non-biological materials such as plastic, which reduces water consumption by preventing the exit of soil moisture, controlling weeds and reducing water wastage, preventing soil compaction, preventing sunlight and increasing the efficiency of soil use (Rajab Larijani and Zargar, 2013).It also helps to reduce soil temperature, reduce erosion, improve cultivated land, put pressure on germination and weed resistance, produce valuable and quality crops and manage insects (Kochaki, 2013). As a result, the use of straw and stubble mulch causes a significant increase in the yield of beans, as well as an increase in humidity and a decrease in water consumption, and this plant was chosen because of its nativeness and its compatibility with the soil of this area (Kuchsafhan). For this reason, the present study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of planting date and mulching of straw and stubble on the growth and yield of local beans of Gilan in Kochsefahan.

Second chapter

         Review of sources

2-1- The origin and history of beans

The origin of leguminous species is more than one place in the world, and in the old world it includes areas such as the Mediterranean, Central Asia, Asia Minor, Africa, India, and the regions of India and China. In the new world, Central and South America are also important regions. Indonesia, Australia, and North America are the secondary sources of beans. The origin of the common bean is probably the tropical parts of South America in Mexico and Guatemala. Beans were cultivated in Mexico between 4 and 7 thousand years BC and between 1 and 3 thousand years BC by Native Americans, and with the discovery of the American continent, its cultivation has spread throughout the world (Majnoun Hosseini, 2007). The origin of beans in America is that scientists reached this conclusion at the end of the 19th century based on observations obtained from archeological remains first from Peru and then from the southwest of the United States (Bagheri, Mahmoudi, Ghazli, 2010; Martinez [1], 2003). So far, forty thousand bean germplasm have been collected in the world, most of them belong to two dry regions and the origin center of South and Central America. Among the varieties, common dry beans and green beans have received the most attention. Green beans were brought to Europe by the Spaniards and the Orangemen in the 16th century, and from there they were transferred to Africa and Asia (Majnoun Hosseini, 2007).

2-2- The economic importance of beans

Global consumption of beans during the period from 1990 to 2007 with an average annual growth of 1.41%, from 32 million tons per year 1990 has reached 39 million tons in 2007. The countries of the Indian subcontinent and India at the top of them are among the largest consumers of pulses in the world. India is the largest consumer of pulses in the world with 27% of global consumption. 65 to 70% of the total production of legumes in the world is consumed by humans and about 25% is consumed by livestock, which is mainly related to developed countries in America, Europe and Australia (Khofi and Anouye Tekeh, 2008). The development of bean cultivation in the country as a summer crop is subject to various climatic and ecological limitations, so that the production of this product with minimal consumption of inputs such as water and phosphorus fertilizers can maintain the economic value of this product compared to other summer products (Madani et al., 2014). Some legumes are used in international trade in addition to producing oil for various human and animal nutrition purposes. Their importance is after cereals and in Iran they are after wheat and rice. The land under the cultivation of legumes for the production of edible seeds is about 10% of the area under grain cultivation, and among the legumes, beans are the second place in terms of the cultivated area (Majnoun Hosseini, 2007). Although the protein of animal foods is superior to vegetable proteins in terms of the number and amount of some essential amino acids, some legumes such as beans have a higher percentage of protein than animal foods (Kochaki, 2013). Legumes use atmospheric nitrogen instead of soil nitrogen and make the use of fertilizer inputs more economical in intensive cultivation systems (Nakhzari Moghadam and Ramroudi, 2012). In the domestic market, the production of legumes in Iran has increased from 290 thousand tons to 639 thousand tons during the period 1360 to 1384. Out of the total production of legumes in the country, chickpeas are ranked first with a production share of 41.52%, and beans with 33.84%, lentils with 17.7%, and other legumes with 6.9% are ranked next. Examining the production process of pulses in the country shows fluctuations in production from 1370 onwards, especially from 1372 to 1981. The highest amount of production is related to 1375 with 704 thousand tons.