Soil Water, Growth And Yield Of Yellow Passion Fruit Response To Mulch And Hydrogel In Embu And Kiambu Counties, Kenya

Decline in yields and frequent failure of major crops in Embu and Kiambu counties, Kenya, is linked to inadequate or unevenly distributed rainfall and poor agronomic practices, among other factors. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of using mulch and hydrogel in production of yellow passion fruit in Embu and Kiambu Counties, Kenya. The study was set up specifically to (i) determine the effect of mulch and hydrogel on soil moisture and nutrients in a yellow passion fruit orchard, (ii) to assess the effect of mulch and hydrogel on growth, yield and quality of yellow passion fruit, and (iii) to evaluate the economic benefits of mulch and hydrogel in production of yellow passion fruit. The study sites were; Ugweri (Embu County), and Kenyatta University. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates was adopted. There were six treatments; (1) hydrogel 10 grams + plastic mulch (H10 g + PM), (2) hydrogel 10 grams + grass mulch (H10 g + GM), (3) plastic mulch (PM), (4) grass mulch (GM), (5) hydrogel 20 grams (H20 g), and (6) control. Key variables measured were growth (vine length), yields (fruit weight), soil moisture, soil chemical properties (total N, total C, extractable P, and exchangeable cations (Ca, K and Mg), and economic data. Data was subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using SAS version 9.3. Results showed that at Ugweri, H10 g + PM treatment had soil moisture content of 192.14 mm at 215 days after transplanting (DAT), 165.13 mm at 229 DAT, 150.91 mm at 243 DAT, 154.73 mm at 257 DAT, 145.69 mm at 271 DAT and 142.67 mm at 285 DAT, which ranked significantly higher compared to other treatments. The highest average soil moisture of 135.24 mm,  34.29 mm, 122.46 mm, 131.70 mm, 115.20 mm and 111.52 mm at Kenyatta University site during 216, 230, 244, 258, 272 and 286 DAT respectively, was recorded in H10 g + PM.