Biodegradable Plastic Mulches for Specialty Crop Production:

Plastic mulch has long been used for specialty crop production and provides many benefits including reduced weed growth, improved moisture control, increased soil temperature, and enhanced plant growth. However, plastic mulch is costly to retrieve and dispose, and has inherently low biodegradability which limits its use in sustainable agriculture. Biodegradable mulches have the potential to provide the same benefits as plastic mulch with the added advantage of fully degrading at the end of the cropping season. This colloquium will provide an overview of biodegradable plastics in general and biodegradable plastics mulches specifically used in agriculture.