Affiliation:
1. Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P., Quinta do Marquês, Nova Oeiras, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
Abstract
Numerous plastic products are used in agriculture, including containers, packaging, tunnels, drip irrigation tubing, and mulches. Large amounts of plastics are used as mulches on the soil surface for vegetable and fruit production (tomato, cucumber, watermelon, strawberry, and vine) to reduce weed competition, increase water and fertilizer use efficiency, and enhance crop yield. Portugal uses around 4500 t/year of polyethylene to cover approximately 23,000 ha of agricultural land, and only a small amount is recovered for recycling or secondary uses because of issues of contamination with the soil, vegetation, pesticides, and fertilizers. Cleaning and decontaminating polyethylene mulch are costly, and commercial technology is often not accessible or economical. Most plastic mulch is composed of polyethylene that degrades slowly and produces a large quantity of residues in the soil, with a negative impact on the environment. In the present study, the effects of long-term cultivation of blueberry using green 100% high-density polyethylene mulch in the south Portugal were evaluated for soil chemical and biological changes. High-density green plastic mulch did not contaminate the topsoil with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and heavy metals, buttotal nitrogen, organic carbon concentrations, electric conductivity, and microbial activity were significantly reduced in the planting row compared with the bare soil without mulching. Furthermore, the presence of plastic mulch did not negatively affect the presence of nematodes, and the number of Rhabditida (bacterial feeders) increased in the planting and covered row.
Funder
Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
LS4FUTURE Associated Laboratory
Reference38 articles.
1. Biodegradable plastic agricultural mulches and key features of microbial degradation;Brodhagen;Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.,2015
2. Amare, G., and Desta, B. (2021). Coloured plastic mulches: Impact on soil properties and crop productivity. Chem. Biol. Technol. Agric., 8.
3. Carranca, C., Oliveira, P., Duarte, E., and Estratégias para redução da pegada dos plásticos de cobertura do solo na produção hortícola (2023, December 13). Vida Rural 2021, 1866, 41–44. Available online: https://www.vidarural.pt/shout_edition/vida-rural-no-1866/.
4. Effect of plastic film mulching and film residues on phthalate esters concentrations in soil and plants, and its risk assessment;Wang;Environ. Pollut.,2021
5. Review, mapping and analysis of the agricultural plastic waste generation and consolidation in Europe;Briassoulis;Water Manag. Res.,2013
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献