Effects of Agrochemicals on the Mechanical Properties of Plastic Films for Greenhouse Covering

Vox, Giuliano; Schettini, Evelia; Stefani, L.; Modesti, Michele; Ugel, Elisabetta

doi:10.17660/actahortic.2008.801.12

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…The variation in the transmissivity in the LWIR range suggests changes in the chemical structure of the films with a reduction in their mechanical characteristics Vox et al, 2008;Stefani et al, 2011, Schettini andVox, 2012). The parallel evaluation of the radiometric characteristics and the mechanical properties of the stabilised films showed a relationship between the variation of the radiometric properties in the LWIR range and the changes of the mechanical properties (Stefani et al, 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Effects of agrochemicals, ultra violet stabilisers and solar radiation on the radiometric properties of greenhouse films

Vox

Schettini

2013

J Agricult Engineer

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Agrochemicals, based on iron, sulphur and chlorine, generate by products that lead to a degradation of greenhouse films together with a decrease in their mechanical and physical properties. The degradation due to agrochemicals depends on their active principles, method and frequency of application, and greenhouse ventilation. The aim of the research was to evaluate how agrochemical contamination and solar radiation influence the radiometric properties of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer greenhouse films by means of laboratory and field tests. The films, manufactured on purpose with the addition of different light stabiliser systems, were exposed to natural outdoor weathering at the experimental farm of the University of Bari (Italy; 41° 05' N) in the period from 2006 to 2008. Each film was tested for two low tunnels: one low tunnel was sprayed from inside with the agrochemicals containing iron, chlorine and sulphur while the other one was not sprayed and served as control. Radiometric laboratory tests were carried out on the new films and on samples taken at the end of the trials. The experimental tests showed that both the natural weathering together with the agrochemicals did not modify significantly the radiometric properties of the films in the solar and in the photosynthetically active radiation wavelength range. Within six months of experimental field tests the variations in these radiometric characteristics were at most 10%. Significant variations, up to 70% of the initial value, were recorded for the stabilised films in the long-wave infrared radiation wavelength range. IntroductionThe radiometric properties of covering greenhouse films influence both the energy balance of the greenhouse and the crop behaviour (Kittas and Baille, 1998;Papadakis et al., 2000;Vox et al., 2010). The microclimate of the protected volume modifies the growing conditions of the crop in comparison with the external climatic conditions according to the quantity and quality of the solar radiation passing through the covering. The stability over time of the radiometric properties of the film during the crop cultivation cycle is an important goal for growers.Physical and mechanical properties decrease when the plastic film covering degrades in the field by discolouration, cracking of the surface, and stiffening. The average service life of plastic greenhouse films depends on parameters related both to the film itself and to the environment in which the film is used (Briassoulis, 2005;Briassoulis and Schettini, 2003;Desriac, 1991; Briassoulis, 1998, 2000;Khan and Hamid, 1995;Martin-Closas et al., 2008;Ruiz et al., 2006), varying from 3-6 months, for one cultivation season, to a maximum of 3-4 years in the Mediterranean area. The ultra violet (UV) radiation in the solar spectrum absorbed by the plastic films is one of the factors that have the biggest influence on the ageing and degradation process (Nijskens et al., 1990;Dilara and Briassoulis, 1998). The UV radiation, especially the UV-B and UV-A radiation that occurs in the ...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Effects of agrochemicals, ultra violet stabilisers and solar radiation on the radiometric properties of greenhouse films

Vox

Schettini

2013

J Agricult Engineer

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“…This effect has not been studied yet and should constitute an interesting subject of study [24] ; The combination of stress condition and contact with agrochemicals [45,90] ; The influence that the stress condition may play on the radiometrical properties of the film; The role that the Melt Flow Index may play on the further recyclability of the agricultural plastic film; The analysis of the results from cyclical mechanical tests; The formulation, through a set of specific experimental tests, of an algorithm able to predict the useful lifetime of a plastic film depending on the main climatological and environmental characteristics of the location where it will be used, in order to govern the chemical formulation of the basic polymer and=or quantity and quality of its additives. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovative Material and Improved Technical Design for a Sustainable Exploitation of Agricultural Plastic Film

Picuno

2014

Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering

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The use of plastic material in agriculture has been growing during the last decades thanks to the benefits it provides in agricultural production. The durability of plastic films is related to the meteorological and environmental conditions, as well as to the consequence of stress they are subjected to during their operational life. An improvement in the technical design of the agricultural plastic film is connected with a closer link between its chemical formulation and the engineering performance. The present article presents a general review about innovative material and new techniques for mechanical recycling of agricultural plastic film

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“…Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is the plastic used most in agriculture, e.g., in greenhouse farming and mulching [9,10,11]. The other types of plastics used in agriculture include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and linear LDPE (LLDPE) [12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic contamination in agricultural soils: a review

Sa’adu

Farsang

2023

Environ Sci Eur

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Researchers are focused on the global issue of plastic contamination in agricultural soils because of the known effects of plastics on the soil ecosystem. Previous reviews did not pay attention to plastic sources, standardized extraction methods, soil characterization, and the abundance of plastics in agricultural soils. This study aims to review up-to-the-minute knowledge about plastic contamination studies, suggest the best method for microplastic studies, and propose future research areas. The research about plastic contamination in agricultural soils published from January 2018 to March 2022 was reviewed for this review article. Studies focusing on microplastics in soils other than agricultural soils were not considered in the present review. The data were acquired from several databases, namely Web of Science and Google Scholar. The keywords used to search these databases were "microplastics AND agricultural soils" and "macroplastics AND agricultural soils". Other literature sources were obtained from the reference lists of downloaded articles, and other pieces of literature that directly dealt with macroplastic and microplastic contamination in agricultural soils were obtained from relevant journals and books. Overall, 120 sources of literature, including 102 original research articles, 13 review articles, and five books, were selected, reviewed, and synthesized. As expected, agricultural soils, including arable lands, paddy lands, uplands, irrigation, and greenhouse soils, receive plastic contaminants. The contaminants of different sizes and forms are distributed spatially and temporally in the surface, subsurface, and profiles of the agricultural soils. Unlike previous studies that reported many studies on sewage sludge, the significant sources of plastic contamination in the agricultural soils included mulching, sludge and compost placement, and greenhouses abandonment. The distribution of plastic contamination studies in the agricultural lands is Asia: 60%; Europe: 29%; Africa: 4%; North America: 4%; Latin America: 3%; and Australia: 0%. After careful analysis of the methods used for the plastics contamination studies, the study concluded that floatations with low-density solutions such as distilled water and NaCl are efficient in separating light-density microplastics. In contrast, ZnCl and NaI are incredibly efficient in separating the heavy-density microplastics. Moreover, this review provides insight for future research in the field.

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Effects of Agrochemicals on the Mechanical Properties of Plastic Films for Greenhouse Covering

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Effects of agrochemicals, ultra violet stabilisers and solar radiation on the radiometric properties of greenhouse films

Effects of agrochemicals, ultra violet stabilisers and solar radiation on the radiometric properties of greenhouse films

Innovative Material and Improved Technical Design for a Sustainable Exploitation of Agricultural Plastic Film

Plastic contamination in agricultural soils: a review

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