Biodegradable Materials for Planting Pots

BÁRBARA TOMADONI; DANILA MERINO; CLAUDIA CASALONGUÉ; VERA A. ALVAREZ

Advanced Applications of Bio-degradable Green Composites

springer

Año: 2020; p. 85 - 103

The use of plastics based on non-renewable petroleum-sources in agriculture represents a growing threat to the environment. Horticultural practices, as well as the growing of plants for landscape, generate great amounts of plastic waste from transplanting pots that are rarely recycled. Nevertheless, there are only few works that deal with biodegradable planting pot preparation and characterization. Planting pots based on biodegradable materials remove the necessity to transplant and hence, discard a container. Planting pots made from industrial and agricultural solid waste, such as wood pulp, paper, or peat moss can be buried directly into the soil altogether with the plant and eventually the container will decompose. Similarly, pots based on biodegradable polymers will also biodegrade when placed in the ground. This chapter reviews the latest findings on biopots (i.e. biodegradable planting pots) based on bioplastics, and also those based on ndustrial and agricultural waste. Bioplastics usually with addition of different reinforcements, such as plant or wood fibers, are a potential alternative to conventional petroleum-based pots. Also, the use of diverse types of solid residues, such as wood fiber, coconut fiber or coir, rice hull, manure, peat, soil wrap, and straw, in the production chain of novel sustainable products could contribute to the development of modern agriculture. The main thing to consider is that it is necessary to offer rapid biodegradation of planting biopots in soil to avoid their accumulation and root circling while increasing biopots water use efficiency when rising plants. In terms of plant growth and functionality, biodegradable containers can represent a good alternative to replace petroleum-based plastics used for horticulture and floriculture containers.