Can biodegradable mulch materials work similarly to polyethylene from an integral point of view?

The agricultural practice of mulching with polyethylene (PE), despite the undeniable improvements it implies for the crops, leads a major problem of environmental pollution, especially remarkable in organic farming. Apart from its petrochemical origin, PE takes a long time to degrade, so that its use generates a significant volume of waste given the difficulty of soil removal and subsequent recycling after crop harvest. In response to this problem, since the last years of the 20^th century, mulches of different origin and characteristics have been formulated and analyzed in a greater or lesser detail as an alternative to PE, more respectful with the environment. In general, they behave satisfactorily in relation to the aspects that focus on the herbicidal effect and the crop yields, fundamentally.

This research addresses on various aspects related to the use of different mulch materials in a sweet bell pepper crop for fresh consumption in Central Spain during four consecutive spring-summer seasons. The treatments tested include PE and unmulched controls (manual weeding and no-weeding), different starch-based (corn and potato) and polylactic acid bioplastics. Based on a joint study of the yield response, fruit quality and weed control, it is remarkable the similarity among different treatments but especially between PE and the corn starch-based material, which would define them as interchangeable mulch materials, with the environmental advantages it implies.

Acknowledgements: Project RTA2011-00104-C04-03 - INIA (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness).