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In the Andean region of Ecuador, the predominant agricultural sector is largely managed by small-scale farmers who lack access to modern technologies. Consequently, their crop yields remain low, rendering their production systems vulnerable to various factors such as drought, cold weather, and labor shortages caused by significant migration. Introducing plastic mulching in agriculture offers a promising solution to enhance yields by optimizing water and nutrient utilization, accelerating harvests, and improving product quality. Moreover, it reduces the labor burden, which is increasingly scarce and costly in rural areas. This study aimed to assess the impact of plastic mulch on the agronomic performance and profitability of four different open pollinated varieties of maize: INIAP-101 (floury white), INIAP-122 (floury yellow), INIAP-193 (floury black), and INIAP-199 (chulpi-sweet). Four independent experiments were conducted using a randomized block design with three replications at two locations within the region. Two treatments were compared: (T1) plastic mulching and (T2) conventional management (without mulching). The results revealed significant improvements in plant height, increasing from 1.55 to 2.01 m, and a remarkable 85% boost in average maize yield under the mulching system, rising from 2.91 t ha-1 to 4.95 t ha-1 compared to conventional management (T2). However, the benefit-to-cost ratio (B/C) was higher for the mulched system (2.55) compared to the conventional system (2.14). The unit production cost was also lower in the mulched system, averaging at 0.67 USD per kilogram, in contrast to the conventional system's average of 0.77 USD per kilogram. These findings suggest that adopting plastic mulch for planting and cultivation could offer a sustainable means to intensify maize production in the Andean region while enhancing producers' incomes.
Keywords: plastic mulching, maize, yield, technology, innovation.
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