Evaluating the impact of organic mulch on climate-resilient cotton production: a regenerative agriculture approach for sustainable farming

Summary

This field study evaluated three organic mulch types (wheat straw, rice straw, sugarcane leaf residue) applied to cotton in semi-arid Pakistan, measuring impacts on soil properties, crop performance, and water use. Mulched plots demonstrated substantially lower soil temperatures (27.3–27.4°C versus 41.6°C control), increased soil carbon and nutrient availability, reduced weed pressure, and improved cotton yield (2704–2743 kg ha⁻¹ versus 2117 kg ha⁻¹ control). Water use efficiency improved significantly with mulching, requiring fewer irrigations and lower total application volumes whilst maintaining consistent fibre quality metrics.

UK applicability

Direct applicability to UK cotton production is limited, as cotton is not commercially grown in the UK climate. However, findings on organic mulch effects on soil temperature moderation, weed suppression, soil carbon sequestration, and water use efficiency may be relevant to UK horticulture and field crop systems, particularly as adaptation strategies for increasingly variable rainfall patterns.

Key measures

Soil temperature (°C), soil pH, soil organic carbon (%), soil organic matter (%), available nitrogen (%), phosphorus (mg kg⁻¹), potassium (mg kg⁻¹), weed density (weeds m⁻²), cotton height, bolls per plant, open-boll weight (g), cotton yield (kg ha⁻¹), ginning outturn (%), irrigation frequency (number of applications), irrigation amount (mm), crop water use efficiency (kg m⁻³)

Outcomes reported

The study measured soil properties (temperature, pH, carbon, organic matter, nutrient availability), cotton agronomic traits (plant height, bolls per plant, open-boll weight, yield), fibre quality metrics (ginning outturn), weed density, irrigation requirements, and crop water use efficiency. Organic mulch treatments were compared against an unmulched control in a semi-arid environment.

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