Performance of Bio-Based Polymeric Agricultural Mulch Films

MERINO, D.; ALVAREZ, V. A.; MANSILLA, A.Y.; CASALONGUÉ, C.A.

Polymers for Agri-Food Applications

Springer Nature

Año: 2019; p. 215 - 240

In order to improve yields and crop traits, polymeric films are commonlyused to cover soils like agricultural mulches. Its use provides important benefits tofarmers and the environment, as they maintain humidity, temperature and preventthe growth of weeds. However, the most widely used mulches are mainly made oflow-density polyethylene. The use of PE films or other non-biodegradable polymerspresent great environmental and economic disadvantages for responsible farmers,who must remove them before the next crop period. The objective of this chapter isto discuss the main properties presented by the biodegradable and bio-based materialsthat have recently been proposed for this application, what is their effect on theyields of different crops in which they have been tested, as well as their biodegradationtime and their effect on the soil quality will also be analyzed. Finally, based onthese findings and the recently approved new standard for biodegradable agriculturalmulches, the materials that will set trends in the future will be remarked.