Mulching techniques impact on soil chemical and biological characteristics affecting physiology of lemon trees

Abstract Aims The lemon cultivation methods and techniques are crucial to ensure maximum productivity in the face of climate change. Mulching with plastic is commonly used in citrus production for saving water, but some side effects need to be investigated. In our study, we investigated different plastic and biological mulching on lemon trees determining growth and physiological parameters in relation to soil chemical and biological composition. Methods The experiment was divided into four different lines with ten trees per treatment, the effect of mulching with white and black plastic film, dry pruning mulching respect to a non-mulched treatment of lemon tree orchard during a crop season. The impact of these treatments on vegetative growth, stomatal gas exchange and mineral nutrition on plant and soil bacterial communities were evaluated. Results Our results showed that the type of mulching significantly influenced in the parameters studied. All mulching treatments increased temperature and soil moisture levels; plastic mulching treatments had significantly higher values in terms of intrinsic water use efficiency; while mulching with dry pruning showed higher soil microbial activity, leading to increased water use efficiency and productivity. Conclusion The results showed that different methods of mulching affected the physiology of lemon trees interacting in a complex way to determine their growth. Specifically, mulching using dry pruning improved the exchange of gases in the plant and plant nutrition which was related to the biological soil health.