• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.368-374
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• 1997

Investigated ware the decomposition of mulch paper, weed occurrence, and rice growth and yield in transplanting rice culture with paper mulching in 1996 and 1997. The mulch paper were developed from domestic old corrugated container. In the experiment of 1996 where 25 percent of nitrogen fertilizer was applied as tillering fertilizer at 15 days after transplanting, it took about 28 to 40 days for the mulch paper to reach 50 percent decomposition according to types of mulch paper and fertilizer amount. The decomposition was faster in 18kg N/10a fertilization plot than in 12kg N/10a fertilization plot, and slower in the mulch paper treated with polyamidepolyamine epichlorohydrin resin(PPE) for the reinforcement of wet strength than in the mulch paper without PPE. In the experiment of 1997 where nitrogen fertilizer was not applied at tillering stage and instead 70 percent of nitrogen fertilizer was supplied as basal fertilizer, it took more than 42 days for the mulch paper(PPF treated) to reach 50 percent decomposition. Paper mulching was found to be very effective in controlling the paddy weeds at early stage of rice growth, but the efficacy, of weed control decreased especially in the mulch paper without PPE at later stage of rite growth due to the occurrence of Ludwigia prostrata in 1996. Few weeds occurred even in non-mulched plot without herbicide in 1997, rending difficulties in evaluating the efficacy of mulch paper in weed control, However, it could be deduced from the durability of mulch paper that paper mulching would have had sufficient efficacy of weed control. Rice yield was only 185kg/10a in the plot without mulching and weed control, but 657kg/10a and 771kg/10a in the paper(PPE treated) mulching plot with 12kgN/10a and 18kgN/10a, respectively, in 1996. The paper mulching plot showed rice yield similar to the weed control plot with herbicide in 1997. It would be concluded that paper mulching could ensure effective weed control and as high yield as the conventional rice cultivation with herbicidal weed control if the corresponding amount of basal nitrogen fertilizer is increased instead of omitting the nitrogen fertilizer at tillering stage.