Photosynthesis, growth, and fruit yield of cucumber in response to oxo-degradable plastic mulches

Organic and non-organic mulches – impact on environmental conditions, yield, and quality of Cucurbitaceae

“…Thanks to the use of black film for mulching, these plants can be successfully grown in temperate regions (Ladakh region, western part of the Tibetan Highlands), where the average temperature of mulched soil in summer has been observed to rise by 2-5°C during the day (Stobdan, 2015). This is confirmed by the results of the studies into using black film-coated biodegradable paper mulch conducted by Haapala et al (2015), as well as Moreno and Moreno (2008) and López-Tolentino et al (2016b), who recorded the highest increase in soil temperature under black PE mulch. Numerous literature reports, however, indicate that the strongest warming of the soil occurs under colourless film (Attallah, 2016;Martín-Closas et al, 2017), with selective transmission of solar radiation (Waterer, 2010).…”

“…In Mexico, the temperature of the soil mulched with 0.038 mm thick black PE film was higher than the temperature under oxo-degradable mulches of the same thickness coloured red, blue, green, and in unprotected soil on average by 2.4°C, 2.2°C, 2.3°C, and 4.2°C, respectively (López-Tolentino et al, 2016b). In the same country, the usefulness of PE film (0.03 mm thick) of different colours in cucumber cultivation was also investigated.…”

“…In an arid climate (Iran), Fatemi et al (2013) observed a significantly increased total yield of summer squash grown on red and blue plastic films by 100% and 31.5%, respectively, in comparison with bare soil. López-Tolentino et al (2016b) recorded that the leaves of cucumber plants growing on an oxo-degradable mulch had a larger assimilation surface, which, according to the authors, was a physiological response to the increase in soil temperature. Similar results have been reported by other authors with regard to the intensity of photosynthesis and fruit yield of this plant (Ibarra-Jiménez et al, 2008).…”

“…At present, intensive research continues on the production technology, properties and implementation of films and nonwoven fabrics made of (or with) biodegradable polylactide (PLA) (Rudnik and Briassoulis, 2011;Weng et al, 2013;Zawiska and Siwek, 2014), naturally occurring polysaccharides (Ołdak et al, 2015;Touchaleaume et al, 2016;Moreno et al, 2017), thermosetting polymers from vegetable oils (Adekunle, 2015), as well as synthetic polymers including substances responsible for photo-, oxo-or biodegradation (Sulak et al, 2012;Abrusci et al, 2013;Gomes et al, 2014;López-Tolentino et al, 2016a, 2016b. The addition of zinc, iron, cobalt, manganese and magnesium facilitates the oxidation and degradation of long chain polymers under the influence of heat, air and light (Zenner de Polanía and Peña Baracaldo, 2013).…”

“…At the end of the 2-month trial, they assessed the level of film degradation at 94% in areas with solar radiation, and only 10% in the sheltered part. In another experiment, while testing the use of oxo-degradable mulches with varying pigment concentrations and titanium dioxide content (22-23%), they observed a tendency to accelerated degradation in the mulch with increasing dye concentration (López-Tolentino et al, 2016b). The cost of using degradable polymeric materials can vary considerably, depending on the built-in components.…”