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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Use of biodegradable plastic film mulch over three years of organic horticultural production promotes yield but does not affect soil organic matter content
ClearBiodegradable plastic mulch films increase yield and promote nitrogen use efficiency in organic horticulture
Researchers tested biodegradable plastic mulch films in organic lettuce production and found they increased crop yields while improving how efficiently plants used nitrogen from organic fertilizers. The biodegradable films performed comparably to conventional polyethylene mulch in weed suppression and soil warming benefits. The study suggests biodegradable mulch could be a practical tool for organic farmers, avoiding the plastic waste problem of traditional film mulches.
Effect of Long-Term Biodegradable Film Mulch on Soil Physicochemical and Microbial Properties
Long-term use of biodegradable mulch film was compared to conventional plastic and no-mulch controls in terms of soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties, with results showing that biodegradable mulch altered soil structure and microbial diversity in ways differing from both conventional plastic and bare soil. The findings raise questions about the cumulative effects of biodegradable plastic residues on agricultural soil health.
The role of biodegradable plastic mulches in soil organic carbon cycling
This review examines the role of biodegradable plastic mulches in soil organic carbon cycling as an alternative to conventional polyethylene mulches, which shed microplastics into agricultural soils. Biodegradable mulches offer potential environmental benefits but their long-term soil impacts are still being studied.
Effect of Biodegradable Mulch and Different Synthetic Mulches on Growth and Yield of Field-Grown Small-Fruited Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)
This field trial compared biodegradable and synthetic plastic mulches for tomato cultivation and found that all mulching treatments increased marketable yield by an average of 19.6%. Notably, fruits grown on biodegradable foil had the highest potassium, lycopene, and polyphenol content, suggesting biodegradable mulches can match synthetic plastic performance while reducing long-term plastic contamination of agricultural soil.
Biodegradable Mulch for Vegetable Production. A Review
This review examined biodegradable plastic mulches as alternatives to conventional polyethylene mulch films in vegetable production, summarizing yield benefits and degradation performance. Replacing conventional plastic mulch with truly biodegradable alternatives could reduce the large amounts of agricultural microplastics shed by mulch film fragmentation.
Biodegradable Mulching Film vs. Traditional Polyethylene: Effects on Yield and Quality of San Marzano Tomato Fruits
A two-year field trial comparing biodegradable mulching film to conventional low-density polyethylene (LDPE) for San Marzano tomato production found that both mulch types produced equivalent yield increases (25%) and improvements in fruit quality compared to bare soil. Biodegradable film began degrading in the field between 71 and 104 days after transplanting, making it a viable alternative that avoids end-of-life plastic waste. Replacing conventional plastic mulch with biodegradable alternatives could significantly reduce the agricultural microplastic burden entering soils globally.
Alternative Mulches for Sustainable Greenhouse Tomato Production
Researchers evaluated three mulch types — polyethylene, straw, and biodegradable biopolymers — compared to non-mulched controls in a Mediterranean greenhouse over two years of organic tomato production, measuring soil moisture, temperature, physicochemical properties, crop yield, and weed control. They found that biodegradable biopolymer mulches offered comparable agronomic performance to polyethylene while avoiding plastic residue accumulation in soil.
Long-term biodegradable mulch films application in agricultural fields: effects on soil functionality and microplastic generation
A long-term field study in northern Italy found that biodegradable mulch films (BMFs) used over multiple seasons contributed measurable microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils and altered soil functionality compared to non-mulched plots. The results challenged the assumption that biodegradable films leave no plastic residue and preserve soil health.
Effects of compost, cover crops, and local conditions on degradation of two agricultural mulches in soil
This field study examined how quickly biodegradable plastic mulches degrade in agricultural soil under different organic management practices including compost application and cover crops. Compost and biological soil amendment accelerated degradation in some conditions. Faster degradation of biodegradable mulches would reduce the accumulation of microplastic fragments in farmland soil.
Legacy Effects of Biodegradable Mulch and Soil Amendments on Vegetable Crops and the Soil
This study examined the legacy effects of biodegradable mulch films and soil amendments on vegetable crops and soil health after multiple growing seasons. Biodegradable plastics are promoted as alternatives to conventional plastic mulch, but their long-term effects on soil and crop safety are still being assessed.
Assessment of the Agricultural Effectiveness of Biodegradable Mulch Film in Onion Cultivation
This multi-year, multi-region field trial compared biodegradable (BD) mulch film versus conventional polyethylene (PE) film and no-mulch in onion cultivation across 2023-2024. BD and PE films produced similar yields (>13% higher than no-mulch), comparable soil properties, and equivalent weed suppression, confirming BD film as a viable alternative that avoids persistent plastic residues in soil.
Biodegradable and biobased mulch residues had limited impacts on soil properties but reduced yield of the following crop in a low fertility soil
Researchers incorporated residues from two biodegradable mulch films and compost into a low-fertility soil and measured effects on soil properties and vegetable crop yield over one season, finding limited soil property changes but reduced yields in the following crop. The results suggest that while biodegradable mulch residues do not degrade soil chemistry, slow decomposition may temporarily affect crop productivity.
A Comprehensive Review of Polyethylene and Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films: Impacts on Soil Health and Plant Growth
This comprehensive review compares polyethylene and biodegradable plastic mulch films used in agriculture, examining their effects on soil properties, microplastic accumulation, plant growth, and the actual biodegradation performance of certified biodegradable alternatives under field conditions.
Impact of long-term conventional and biodegradable film mulching on microplastic abundance, soil structure and organic carbon in a cotton field
Researchers compared microplastic levels in cotton fields after 23 years of plastic film mulching and found that switching to biodegradable film actually produced more total microplastics than continuing with conventional polyethylene film. The biodegradable film broke down into many small particles that also reduced beneficial soil microbes and dissolved organic carbon. This challenges the idea that biodegradable agricultural films are a simple solution to farmland plastic pollution.
Impact of long-term conventional and biodegradable film mulching on microplastic abundance and soil organic carbon in a cotton field
Researchers compared microplastic accumulation in topsoil after years of conventional polyethylene versus biodegradable film mulching in Chinese cotton fields. Despite biodegradable films being designed to break down, soils under biodegradable mulching had comparable microplastic counts to conventional mulching after multiple seasons, raising questions about whether bioplastic mulches truly reduce field microplastic pollution.
Fresh-marketable tomato yields enhanced by moderate weed control and suppressed fruit dehiscence with woodchip mulching
Researchers found that mulberry woodchip mulch enhanced fresh-marketable tomato yields and reduced fruit dehiscence compared to plastic film mulch, supporting the use of organic alternatives to reduce agricultural plastic pollution.
Biodegradable Film Mulching Increases Soil Carbon Sequestration and Microbial Network Complexity in a Long-Term Field Study
Scientists studied biodegradable plastic mulch (the plastic sheeting farmers use to cover soil) and found it helps soil store more carbon and support healthier microbial communities compared to regular plastic mulch. However, the biodegradable plastic still breaks down into microplastics in the soil, raising questions about long-term environmental effects. This matters because while biodegradable farm plastics may help fight climate change by storing carbon, we still need to understand how the microplastics they leave behind might affect our food system.
Biodegradable mulch films exhibit slower-than-expected degradation with negligible effects on soil microbial communities
Researchers ran a year-long field trial with seven biodegradable plastic mulch films in the UK, finding that none fragmented into soil microplastics as expected and all degraded far more slowly than current industry standards suggest they should. Despite virtually no measurable impact on soil microbial communities, the results challenge the assumption that biodegradable plastics reliably break down under real farming conditions.
The Effects of Biodegradable Mulch Film on the Growth, Yield, and Water Use Efficiency of Cotton and Maize in an Arid Region
Biodegradable mulch film maintained crop growth and water use efficiency comparable to conventional polyethylene film in Chinese cotton and maize fields for the first 60 days, then began to degrade. Replacing conventional plastic mulch with biodegradable alternatives could reduce microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils.
Building Agricultural Knowledge of Soil-biodegradable Plastic Mulch
This paper examines the slow adoption of soil-biodegradable mulching film (BDM) as a replacement for conventional polyethylene (PE) mulch in US agriculture, developing training materials and running extension education programs for farmers and agronomists. Field demonstrations showed comparable weed control and tomato yield between BDM and PE, but growers remain concerned about inconsistent degradation rates and food safety questions around plastic fragments. Accelerating BDM adoption is relevant to the microplastics problem because conventional PE mulch fragments left in fields are a major source of agricultural soil microplastic contamination.
Effects of Biodegradable Film and Polyethylene Film Residues on Soil Moisture and Maize Productivity in Dryland
Researchers found that biodegradable agricultural films are a viable alternative to conventional polyethylene mulch films, with higher degradation rates and less impact on soil moisture and maize root growth, ultimately improving grain yield and water use efficiency over a two-year field experiment.
Impact of plastic mulch film debris on soil physicochemical and hydrological properties
This study compared low-density polyethylene and biodegradable plastic mulch films in agricultural soils, finding that both types left plastic residues that altered soil water infiltration, aggregate stability, and other physicochemical properties relevant to crop productivity.
Comparing the impact of microplastics derived from a biodegradable and a conventional plastic mulch on plant performance
Researchers directly compared how microplastics from biodegradable and conventional plastic mulch films affect plant growth and found that biodegradable plastic particles actually reduced plant biomass more than conventional plastic particles in some cases. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for agriculture, since their breakdown products may still harm crops that end up in the human food supply.
The effect of adding residual humic acid biodegradable film on agronomic performance of potted tomato under greenhouse conditions
Researchers investigated the effects of incorporating residual humic acid biodegradable film into soil on the agronomic performance of potted tomatoes grown under greenhouse conditions. The study examined how the degradation of biodegradable plastic mulch film and associated humic acid residues influences soil environment quality and vegetable crop growth.