Explore the vast range of titles available.

Mulching is a common method increasing crop yield and achieving out-of-season production; nevertheless, their removal poses a significant environmental danger. In this scenario, the use of biodegradable plastic mulches comes up as a solution to increase the sustainability of this practice, as they can be tilled in soil without risk for the environment. In this context, it is important to study the microbial response to this practice, considering their direct involvement in plastic biodegradation. This study evaluated the biodegradation of three commercial mulch residues: one conventional non-biodegradable mulch versus two biodegradable ones (white and black compostable Mater-Bi mulches). The experiment was conducted under three incubation temperatures (room temperature 20–25 °C, 30 °C, and 45 °C) for a 6-month trial using fallow agricultural soil. Soil without plastic mulch residues was used as a control. White mater-bi biodegradable mulch residues showed higher degradation rates up to 88.90% at 30 °C, and up to 69.15% at room temperature. Furthermore, incubation at 45 °C determines the absence of degradation for all types of mulch considered. Moreover, bacterial alpha diversity was primarily influenced by plastic type and temperature, while fungal populations were mainly affected by temperature. Beta diversity was impacted by all experimental variables. Predicted functional genes crucial for degrading complex substrates, including those encoding hydrolases, cutinases, cellobiosidases, and lipases, were derived from 16S rRNA gene sequencing data. Cluster analysis based on predicted enzyme-encoding gene abundance revealed two clusters, mainly linked to sampling time. Finally, core microbiome analysis identified dominant bacterial and fungal taxa in various soil-plastic ecosystems during degradation, pinpointing species potentially involved in plastic breakdown. The present study allows an assessment of how different temperatures affect the degradation of mulch residues in soil, providing important insights for different climatic growing zones. It also fills a gap in the literature by directly comparing the effects of biodegradable and polyethylene mulches on soil microbial communities.

Aim The pollution caused by agricultural plastic mulch film and the resulting microplastics has garnered significant attention. The partial application of biodegradable plastic mulch film (BPM) appears to be a promising method for reducing plastic pollution in agricultural soil. Methods However, there is currently limited information available on the impact of BPM and the resulting microplastics on agricultural ecosystems. Many mechanisms and conclusions regarding this issue remain uncertain. Accordingly, a comprehensive understanding of the limitations of BPM applications is crucial for assessing the potential ecological risks and guiding future research. Results Problematically, the actual environmental conditions of agricultural soil, climatic conditions, degradability, market price, and acceptance by farmers all significantly limit the implementation of BPM. Due to the faster and easier degradation of BPM compared to conventional plastic mulch film (CPM), a larger amount of microplastics may be generated within the same time frame. In addition, the implementation of BPM can result in significant alterations in soil microbial diversity, thereby affecting the emissions of CO2, N2O, and CH4. These changes can ultimately have unpredictable consequences on the carbon and nitrogen cycles. Conclusion The price, uncertainty of degradation in soil, and potential negative impact on the soil environment also restrict the wide application of BPM. Overall, considering the existing knowledge gap and potential issues, further research is needed to determine whether BPM can effectively address the problem of residual mulch film and microplastic pollution in farmland. There is still a long way to go before BPM can completely replace CPM in agricultural production.

The development of biodegradable plastic mulch films for use in agriculture has been ongoing for decades. These films consist of mixtures of polymers with various additives. As a result, their physical and chemical properties differ from those of the pure polymers often used for in vitro enzymatic and microbial degradation studies, raising questions about the biodegradation capability of mulch films. Currently, standards exist for the biodegradation of plastics in composting conditions but not in soil. Biodegradation in soil or compost depends on a complex synergy of biological and abiotic degradative processes. This review discusses the physicochemical and structural properties of biodegradable plastic mulches, examines their potential for on-site decomposition in light of site-to-site variance due to environmental and biological conditions, and considers the potential for long-term effects on agroecosystem sustainability and functionality.

Plastic mulch films contribute to better crop production. Concerns for lack of sustainable disposal methods for conventional polyethylene (PE) mulch led to development of biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs) that can be soil-incorporated or composted after use. Environmental weathering of BDMs during crop growth reduces their mechanical strength and alters the molecular structure of their polymeric components. However, the impact of weathering on BDMs’ biodegradability is not fully understood. The biodegradability of agriculturally weathered and unweathered BDMs in soil and compost was compared using standardized laboratory tests (ASTM D5988 and D5338) using four BDMs (experimental polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoate-based film [PLA/PHA] and three commercially available polybutyrate [PBAT]-based BDMs). In soil, biodegradation of weathered PLA/PHA was greater than its unweathered counterpart. For PBAT-based BDMs, the extent of biodegradation varied. A decrease of the weight-averaged molecular weight (Mw) of PBAT and PLA and thermostability of PLA, PHA, PBAT, and starch components was observed during biodegradation in the soil. The proportion of the minor components PHA and starch decreased during biodegradation, indicating preferential utilization of PHA over PLA and starch over PBAT by microbes. Bacterial abundance was significantly higher than fungal abundance in soil and was more prominent in soil adjacent to weathered than unweathered BDM treatments. Under composting conditions, unweathered PBAT-enriched mulches yielded higher CO2 evolution than their weathered counterpart. Together, these results suggest that environmental weathering enhances biodegradation of BDMs and mulch’s polymeric constituents also influence the microbial degradation, more so for bacterial than fungal communities.

This research was carried out in order to demonstrate that mulching the ground helps to conserve water, because agricultural sustainability in dryland contexts is threatened by drought, heat stress, and the injudicious use of scarce water during the cropping season by minimizing surface evaporation. Improving soil moisture conservation is an ongoing priority in crop outputs where water resources are restricted and controlled. One of the reasons for the desire to use less water in agriculture is the rising demand brought on by the world’s growing population. In this study, the use of organic or biodegradable mulches was dominated by organic materials, while inorganic mulches are mostly comprised of plastic-based components. Plastic film, crop straw, gravel, volcanic ash, rock pieces, sand, concrete, paper pellets, and livestock manures are among the materials put on the soil surface. Mulching has several essential applications, including reducing soil water loss and soil erosion, enriching soil fauna, and improving soil properties and nutrient cycling in the soil. It also reduces the pH of the soil, which improves nutrient availability. Mulching reduces soil deterioration by limiting runoff and soil loss, and it increases soil water availability by reducing evaporation, managing soil temperature, or reducing crop irrigation requirements. This review paper extensively discusses the benefits of organic or synthetic mulches for crop production, as well as the uses of mulching in soil and water conservation. As a result, it is very important for farmers to choose mulching rather than synthetic applications.

Polyethylene (PE) mulch provides significant benefits to fruit and vegetable producers because it has the potential to improve crop quality and increase yield. However, the use of PE mulch generates plastic pollution, posing challenges to the sustainability of fruit and vegetable production. Plastic biodegradable mulches (BDMs) are a sustainable alternative to PE mulch because they are designed to decompose into water, carbon dioxide, and microbial biomass. We surveyed Tennessee fruit and vegetable growers to assess their use of PE mulch, BDM, or both; the differences in the characteristics of BDM users and nonusers; and their interest in using BDM. Our results indicate a large percentage of fruit and vegetable growers have used PE mulch compared with BDM. In general, BDM users tend to have more acres in fruit and vegetable production, have used dumping and burying as PE mulch disposal methods, and have spent more hours removing and disposing of PE mulch. Results indicate that even at prices higher than the current average market price for BDM, there is a percentage of Tennessee fruit and vegetable growers interested in using BDM.

Pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola (Förster) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is the most economically important pest of pears grown in Washington State. Standard conventional management programs involve season-long broad-spectrum insecticide sprays. Although the industry uses some tools that are not disruptive to biological control, such as kaolin clay and selective insecticides, they are additions to broad-spectrum insecticides instead of replacements. Conventional sprays suppress pear psylla through the spring and early summer; however, disruption of biological control leads to pear psylla outbreaks near harvest. In 2018 and 2019, we tested two season-long programs that used only selective approaches. The programs began with either kaolin clay or reflective plastic mulch and were followed by identical spray programs using only selective insecticides. Programs were compared with an industry standard conventional program that used numerous broad-spectrum insecticides throughout the season, and a check program with no insecticides for pear psylla. Experiments were conducted using replicated 40-tree plots in a research orchard near Wenatchee, WA with high pear psylla pressure. In both years, selective programs had similar pear psylla densities to the industry standard program and all had lower pear psylla densities and fruit injury than the check. Both selective programs had lower fruit injury than the industry standard in the first year, and similar injury to the industry standard in the second year. Our results suggest kaolin clay and reflective mulch can effectively suppress pear psylla populations and injury in the early season and support season-long selective management programs without the use of broad-spectrum insecticides.

Although agricultural plastic mulches can have significant horticultural benefits for specialty crops such as strawberry ( Fragaria ×ananassa ), there can also be significant economic and environmental costs. In particular, polyethylene (PE) plastic mulch requires labor and financial investments for removal and disposal. Micro- or nanoparticles may persist in soil and negatively affect microbial activity, physical soil properties, and nutrient availability. A possible alternative to PE mulch is biodegradable plastic mulch, which has similar horticultural benefits but does not need to be removed from the field at the end of the growing season. Biodegradable plastic mulch can be tilled into the soil, where it is converted by soil microorganisms into water, carbon dioxide, and microbial biomass. Although horticultural and environmental research into the impacts of PE and biodegradable plastic mulch is ongoing, it is also important to understand farmers’ practices and perceptions related to these mulches. We conducted a survey of strawberry growers in three growing regions of the United States: California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Mid-Atlantic. Our results indicate several regional differences, with California farmers being more likely to have used biodegradable plastic mulch, and growers from California and the Pacific Northwest being more likely to perceive negative impacts of PE mulch compared with growers in the Mid-Atlantic. Regardless of region, a majority of growers were interested in learning more about biodegradable plastic mulch. We conclude with several suggestions for biodegradable plastic mulch development and outreach that may promote strawberry growers’ adoption of this technology.

Agricultural plastic mulching is an important horticultural process for increasing crop yields because it preserves soil moisture, soil temperature, and nutrients, and avoids the need for weed herbicides. However, there are risks to using plastic mulch, since residual macroplastic (MaP), microplastic (MP), and nanoplastic (NP) in fields have a significant negative impact on the environment, causing damage to soil properties, harming microorganisms in the soil, and entering the human body via the food chain. Plastic mulch is often disposed of in landfills or used in techniques like the thermal process to gain energy or recycling to generate plastic granules for the plastic industry. Pretreatments are occasionally required before recycling, such as cleaning the mulch from the soil to fit the recycling process. This review provides an overview of the quantities and negative impacts of plastic, especially plastic mulch films after use, as well as their decomposition products, on the environment, soil, and human health, and presents alternatives. The possibilities and problems of collecting and recycling films are discussed in addition to the alternatives, for example, the use of biodegradable films. Overall, agricultural advancements to reduce plastic waste in the environment by using thicker films, collection after use, and recycling in developed countries are on a good path. However, NP poses a risk, as it is still completely unclear how it affects human health. Alternatives to plastic mulch have found little acceptance so far due to the significantly higher material costs.

Water scarcity constrains global cotton production. However, partial root-zone drying (PRD) and mulching can be used as good techniques to save water and enhance crop production, especially in arid regions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of mulching for water conservation in an arid environment under PRD and to further assess the osmotic adjustment and enzymatic activities for sustainable cotton production. The study was carried out for 2 years in field conditions using mulches (NM = no mulch, BPM = black plastic mulch at 32 kg ha -1 , WSM = wheat straw mulch at 3 tons ha -1 , CSM = cotton sticks mulch at 10 tons ha -1 ) and two irrigation levels (FI = full irrigation and PRD (50% less water than FI). High seed cotton yield (SCY) achieved in FI+WSM (4457 and 4248 kg ha -1 in 2017 and 2018, respectively) and even in PRD+WSM followed by BPM>CSM>NM under FI and PRD for both years. The higher SCY and traits observed in FI+WSM and PRD+WSM compared with the others were attributed to the improved water use efficiency and gaseous exchange traits, increased hormone production (ABA), osmolyte accumulation, and enhanced antioxidants to scavenge the excess reactive oxygen. Furthermore, better cotton quality traits were also observed under WSM either with FI or PRD irrigation regimes. Mulches applications found effective to control the weeds in the order as BPM>WSM>CSM. In general, PRD can be used as an effective stratagem to save moisture along with WSM, which ultimately can improve cotton yield in the water-scarce regions under arid climatic regions. It may prove as a good adaptation strategy under current and future water shortage scenarios of climate change.