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Effect of plastic film mulching on the distribution of plastic residues in agricultural fields
Summary
Researchers found that plastic film mulching practiced for 10 years in agricultural fields in Tamil Nadu, India resulted in the highest plastic residue distribution in the 0-10 cm depth layer, with residues decreasing with depth. The study also revealed that plastic residues negatively affected dehydrogenase enzyme activity in the rhizosphere, indicating impacts on soil biological health.
In the present study, plastic residues were identified in the following four regions of Tamil Nadu, India: Sulur, Nagondapalli, Royakottah, and Krishnagiri. Among these regions, the percent distribution of plastic residues was found to be higher in Sulur of Coimbatore District where plastic film mulching has been practiced for 10 years for cultivating tomato (Lycopersicum esculentus L.) crop. At different depths, namely 0-10, 11-20, and 21-30 cm, the distribution of plastic residues at Sulur was 37.97%, 35.07%, and 36.99%, respectively, compared with other regions. The distribution of plastic residues was found to decrease with increasing depth. More plastic debris was found at a depth of 0-10 cm. Furthermore, the results indicated that the dehydrogenase enzyme activity of the rhizosphere soil was not affected by the mulching practice. In addition, plastic debris in the form of films was distributed more, followed by fibres and microplastics. The presence of individual elements, such as Si, Fe, C, Na, and O, used for film coating was confirmed through scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), indicating the presence of plastic film residues in the study area.