Evaluation of three plastic mulch colors on the growth of nova mandarin (Citrus reticulata) seedlings in Cañete – Peru

Abstract

Plastic mulching is a low-cost technology whose effect on growth depends on the material's optical and thermal properties, which vary with color. In Cañete, mandarin (Citrus reticulata) production faces moisture loss, weed pressure and soil thermal variability, with no local evidence on the most suitable mulch color for the Nova variety. This study evaluated the effect of three mulch colors (white, black, and blue) on the height increment of Nova mandarin seedlings at I.E.S.T.P. “Cañete”, with implications for production management. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used, with census sampling (n = 18; sample = population) across three treatments of six replicates. Height increment was analyzed using one-way ANOVA (? = 0.05). Mulch color had a significant effect (F (2,15) = 4.19; p = 0.036; critical F = 3.68); the null hypothesis was rejected. Black mulch produced the greatest average increment (1.50 cm), followed by blue (1.34 cm) and white (1.30 cm); however, Tukey's post-hoc test (HSD = 0.22 cm) did not detect significant pairwise differences. Given the equivalent acquisition cost across treatments, mulch-color selection is a performance-based decision rather than a budget-based one. Black mulch is suggested as a preferred option, pending validation with larger sampling and yield data through harvest.