Resource-Efficient Strip-Mulching Technology for Melon Production in Arid Uzbekistan: Polymer Input, Irrigation Water Savings, Yield, and Economic Assessment

Polyethylene film mulching improves crop productivity in arid regions, but conventional full-surface use increases plastic input and post-season waste. This three-year field study evaluated localized strip mulching for drip-irrigated melon (Cucumis melo L.) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. A randomized complete block design included three cultivars, bare soil, transparent film, and black film, with four blocks annually (2022–2024). Each 49.0 m2 plot had an individual water meter. Mixed-effects analysis indicated strong mulch effects on marketable yield, seasonal irrigation, and irrigation water productivity (IWP) (all p < 0.001). Strip mulch covered 42.9% of the field and required 118.3 kg ha−1 film, 57.1% below the calculated full-surface material requirement. Relative to bare soil, transparent and black film increased the mean marketable yield by 11.4% and 16.9% and reduced measured seasonal irrigation by 14.1% and 18.5%, respectively; plot-level mean IWP increased by 29.7% and 43.4%. Black-film mulch use efficiency reached 38.04–42.27 kg additional fruit kg−1 film. Ko‘kcha-588 with black film produced 35.0 t ha−1 with 3845.8 m3 ha−1 irrigation and 9.10 kg m−3 mean plot-level IWP. At the base price scenario, black film provided an incremental margin of 3.67 million UZS ha−1 before additional labor and end-of-life costs. The estimated 295 kg CO2-eq ha−1 reduction concerns virgin-LDPE resin production only. Yield and irrigation comparisons refer to bare soil; the full-surface comparison concerns calculated material input. Additional field monitoring showed stronger soil warming under transparent film and lower uncovered inter-row weed biomass with black film; these observations do not establish the independent mechanism of the yield response.