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Agronomy
Volume 16
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10.3390/agronomy16010083
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Article

Can Plastic Mulching Enhance Soil Physical Conditions and Mitigate Water-Related Physiological Stress in Citrus Crops?

by
Pedro Antônio Namorato Benevenute
1,*,
Samara Martins Barbosa
1,
Isabela Cristina Filardi Vasques
2,
Everton Geraldo de Morais
1,
Cynthia de Oliveira
1,
Geraldo César de Oliveira
1,
Ester Alice Ferreira
3 and
Bruno Montoani Silva
1
1
Department of Soil Science (DCS), Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Trevo Rotatório Professor Edmir Sá Santos, Lavras 37200-000, MG, Brazil
2
Department of Soil Science, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil
3
Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais (EPAMIG), Southern Regional Unit of Minas Gerais (URESM), Trevo Rotatório Professor Edmir Sá Santos, Lavras 37200-000, MG, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2026, 16(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010083 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 30 November 2025 / Revised: 24 December 2025 / Accepted: 25 December 2025 / Published: 27 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Horticultural and Floricultural Crops)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Short dry spells during the rainy season have become increasingly common in Brazil, reinforcing the need for soil water conservation practices. Plastic mulching can enhance plant water use and mitigate abiotic stress. This study evaluates water use efficiency in terms of soil physical quality, root systems, and photosynthetic performance of citrus plants grown in different Inceptisols. The field experiment, in a randomized block design with a split-plot arrangement, was conducted in Lavras, Brazil, and involved citrus (orange) plants from 2012 to 2014. Undisturbed soil samples were collected at depths of 0.00–0.05, 0.20–0.25, and 0.90–0.95 m, two years after the installation of white plastic (WP), black plastic (BP), and no plastic (NP) mulching treatments in two Inceptisol types, totaling 54 samples. The soil water-retention curve, pore size distribution, and soil physical quality indicators were determined, and root system distribution maps were generated using B-splines. Leaf gas exchange was measured under contrasting precipitation conditions. Inceptisol I showed minimal impact from mulching, except for the bulk density and total porosity, which positively correlated with transpiration under BP. In contrast, in Inceptisol II, WP increased photosynthetic rates under low- and high-precipitation conditions but reduced water use efficiency, correlating positively with macropores and negatively with micropores. Plastic mulching reduces physiological stress in citrus and improves soil physical quality, with WP being the most effective across precipitation levels, particularly in less stable soils.
Keywords: Inceptisol; soil quality indicators; soil cover; photosynthesis; water balance; water use efficiency Inceptisol; soil quality indicators; soil cover; photosynthesis; water balance; water use efficiency

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MDPI and ACS Style

Benevenute, P.A.N.; Barbosa, S.M.; Vasques, I.C.F.; Morais, E.G.d.; de Oliveira, C.; Oliveira, G.C.d.; Ferreira, E.A.; Silva, B.M. Can Plastic Mulching Enhance Soil Physical Conditions and Mitigate Water-Related Physiological Stress in Citrus Crops? Agronomy 2026, 16, 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010083

AMA Style

Benevenute PAN, Barbosa SM, Vasques ICF, Morais EGd, de Oliveira C, Oliveira GCd, Ferreira EA, Silva BM. Can Plastic Mulching Enhance Soil Physical Conditions and Mitigate Water-Related Physiological Stress in Citrus Crops? Agronomy. 2026; 16(1):83. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010083

Chicago/Turabian Style

Benevenute, Pedro Antônio Namorato, Samara Martins Barbosa, Isabela Cristina Filardi Vasques, Everton Geraldo de Morais, Cynthia de Oliveira, Geraldo César de Oliveira, Ester Alice Ferreira, and Bruno Montoani Silva. 2026. "Can Plastic Mulching Enhance Soil Physical Conditions and Mitigate Water-Related Physiological Stress in Citrus Crops?" Agronomy 16, no. 1: 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010083

APA Style

Benevenute, P. A. N., Barbosa, S. M., Vasques, I. C. F., Morais, E. G. d., de Oliveira, C., Oliveira, G. C. d., Ferreira, E. A., & Silva, B. M. (2026). Can Plastic Mulching Enhance Soil Physical Conditions and Mitigate Water-Related Physiological Stress in Citrus Crops? Agronomy, 16(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010083

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