EFFECT OF MULCHING ON SOIL MOISTURE AND SOME SOIL CHARACTERISTICS

This study was carried out with the aim of determining the effects of mulching on soil moisture and some soil properties. The experiment was conducted under field conditions in randomized block design in cultivated and non cultivated blocks with 3 replications. In the study, five different doses, 0 (control), 4, 8, 12 and 16 t/ha of straw mulch were applied to the field surface. The experiment consisted of one-meter-spaced 30 plots of 4 m(2) (2mx2m) size each on a field of 304 m2 in total. With the aim of determining the progress of change in soil properties, disturbed soil samples were collected from the depth of 0-20 cm on each plot before and six months after the experiment; the samples were air-dried, passed through sieve and analyzed. At the end of the experiment, tillage increased moisture held in soil and decreased organic matter, cation exchange capacity and aggregate stability. Soil moisture, organic matter, hydraulic conductivity, cation exchange capacity and aggregate stability were detected to increase with increasing mulch dose while the change in electrical conductivity, pH, bulk density and lime values was found insignificant.