Environmental and Economic Impacts of Biodegradable Plastic Film Mulching on Rainfed Maize: Evaluations on Sustainability and Productivity

Abstract

Fully biodegradable (Bio) plastic film is an alternative option to replace widely used polythene film in semiarid rainfed regions. However, its productivity and environmental friendliness remain unclear. Field observations were conducted using maize variety Pioneer 335 to evaluate the effects of Bio film mulching on soil hydrothermal status, carbon sequestration, and water productivity in a semiarid site of northwest China from 2016 to 2017. Six treatments were designed as (1) CK-1, ridge and furrow (RF) without mulching, (2) CK-2, conventional flat planting without mulching, (3) RFT, RF with transparent polyethylene film mulching, (4) RFB, RF with black polyethylene mulching, (5) RFS, RF with wheat straw mulching, and (6) RFBIO, RF with Bio film mulching. The results indicated the growth prophase of maize from sowing to silking stage received 160 mm of rainfall in cool and wet 2016, but decreased to 119.8 mm in warm and dry 2017. Bio film degradation was advanced at the mid stages of maize growth by 10 days in 2017 compared with 2016. Similarly to RFT, RFBIO significantly improved soil hydrothermal conditions compared with RFS, CK-1, and CK-2; however, its magnitude decreased at the maturity stage (P < 0.05). Both RFT and RFB had significantly higher grain yields, economic benefits and water use efficiencies than RFBIO and RFS did across two growing seasons (P < 0.05). RFBIO led to a steady improvement in soil organic carbon, light fraction organic carbon, and carbon to nitrogen ratio, which were better than those of RFT. Therefore, Bio film mulching might be environmentally friendly but not highly productive.

Development of Self-Sustaining Improvement Material for a Mud Film of the Weathered Soil of Red Beds

“…The mud film formed by the weathered soil of red beds with improved materials can be used for engineering ecological protection [4]; however, the most commonly used materials for improving the weathered soil of red beds in production are chemically rich [5], expensive, and environmentally unfriendly. A mud film system with ecological functions is constructed by improving the flexibility, thinness, and corrosion resistance of the mud film [6,7]; endowing the mud film with self-regulation, self-supporting, and self-healing ecological improvement effects; achieving the goal of ecological diversity [8] and environmental beautification [9] of the mud film; and reducing the amounts of plastic film and non-woven fabric used [10]. Therefore, developing improved materials with low cost, a suitable environment, abundant sources, and significant effects to prepare a mud film of the weathered soil of red beds is of great significance for the development of green and low-cost engineering ecological protection technologies.…”

The Use and Recycling of Agricultural Plastic Mulch in China: A Review

“…Continuously promote the research and application of biodegradable mulching film Biodegradable mulching film is a green alternative to traditional plastic mulch and a research hotspot in many countries in recent years [139][140][141][142]. However, it has many problems such as high production costs, insufficient mechanical strength, poor controllability of degradation, and an unclear fate of degradation in the soil [143][144][145][146].…”