Optical properties of paper and polyethylene mulches used for weed control in lettuce

Optical properties of paper and plastic mulches were determined in experiments on mulched head lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in organic soil in 1997-98. Mulches used in 1997 were a coextruded white/black polyethylene, a beige paper coated with latex on both sides and a black paper coated with latex on both sides. Three supplementary mulches were added in the 1998 experiment: beige paper coated with a biodegradable polymer either coated on the underside, on the top side or on both sides. Optical properties of the polyethylene mulch remained stable over the course of the experiment. As the paper mulches aged, they changed structurally, spectrally, or both, but remained in place until harvest. The black paper was the only mulch that offered complete weed control, although the weeds under the other mulches did not develop beyond the cotyledonary or two-true-leaf stage.