Building Agricultural Knowledge of Soil-biodegradable Plastic Mulch

IF 1 4区 农林科学 Q3 HORTICULTURE Horttechnology Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI:10.21273/horttech05248-23
Srijana Shrestha, L. DeVetter, Carol Miles, Jazmine Mejia-Muñoz, Pam Krone, Mark Bolda, Shuresh Ghimire
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Abstract

The use of polyethylene (PE) mulch causes environmental pollution where incomplete removal leaves fragments susceptible to escape to ecosystems, such as the ocean, where they can cause ecological harm. PE mulch is generally nonrecyclable due to contamination with soil and crop debris after use, leaving growers with few end-of-life options for used PE mulch. Research studies have shown that soil-biodegradable plastic mulch (BDM) is comparable to PE mulch in terms of performance, soil health, and overall economics and is preferred from an environmental perspective, but the adoption of BDM by producers is still low. Previous research has shown that the primary barriers to BDM adoption are insufficient knowledge about BDM, high purchase cost, and unpredictable breakdown of BDM in the soil. The high purchase cost of BDM compared with PE mulch is offset by the costs for PE mulch removal, transport, and disposal fees. This project was conducted to develop BDM training materials, to educate and assess BDM knowledge gained by extension personnel and other agricultural professionals through trainings and webinars, and to educate producers about BDM through hands-on experience. Thirty-six research and extension publication outputs from two previous US Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative BDM projects were reviewed and transcribed into 45 new extension publications that included 11 slide presentations, 5 lecture slides, 10 fact sheets, and 3 videos. All the training materials are posted on a public university website. Professional development trainings were conducted at local, regional, national, and international levels to provide agricultural professionals the current, science-based information on BDM and resources for information. Survey results showed that at a local level, the greatest change of knowledge among participants was observed for “BDM use in organic production” (60%), and the lowest reported change of knowledge was observed for “limitations to PE mulch disposal” (19%). At a regional level, out of 58 participants, 23% to 35% of participants learned “a lot” and 35% to 51% learned “some new information” regarding BDM from the webinar. At the national level, out of 30 participants, 48% responded that they learned “a lot” and another 48% learned “some new information” on BDM from the training. Growers were trained about BDM via field days and on-farm demonstrations where five strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) growers volunteered to participate in BDM trials. The participant growers observed no difference in weed control and fruit yield between the PE mulch and the BDM. Growers expressed concerns about slow biodegradation of BDM after soil incorporation, potential impacts on soil biological activity, food safety concerns with BDM fragments and that BDM is not currently permitted for use in organic production.
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构建土壤生物降解地膜的农业知识
聚乙烯(PE)覆盖物的使用会造成环境污染,不完全去除会使碎片容易逃逸到海洋等生态系统中,从而造成生态危害。聚乙烯地膜通常是不可回收的,由于污染的土壤和作物碎片后使用,留给种植者很少的报废聚乙烯地膜的选择。研究表明,土壤生物降解塑料地膜(BDM)在性能、土壤健康和整体经济方面与PE地膜相当,从环境角度来看是首选,但生产者对BDM的采用率仍然很低。先前的研究表明,采用BDM的主要障碍是对BDM的了解不足,购买成本高,以及BDM在土壤中的不可预测分解。与PE地膜相比,BDM的高购买成本被PE地膜去除、运输和处理费的成本所抵消。该项目的目的是编写BDM培训材料,对推广人员和其他农业专业人员通过培训和网络研讨会获得的BDM知识进行教育和评估,并通过实践经验对生产者进行BDM教育。来自美国农业部特种作物研究计划(BDM)之前的两个项目的36项研究和推广出版物进行了审查,并转录成45份新的推广出版物,其中包括11张幻灯片、5张讲座幻灯片、10张情况说明书和3个视频。所有的培训材料都发布在一个公立大学的网站上。在地方、区域、国家和国际各级开展了专业发展培训,为农业专业人员提供最新的、基于科学的BDM信息和信息资源。调查结果显示,在地方层面上,参与者对“BDM在有机生产中的使用”的知识变化最大(60%),而对“PE地膜处置的限制”的知识变化最低(19%)。在地区层面,在58名参与者中,23%至35%的参与者从网络研讨会中学到了“很多”,35%至51%的参与者从网络研讨会中学到了关于BDM的“一些新信息”。在国家层面,在30名参与者中,48%的人回应说他们从培训中学到了“很多”,另有48%的人从培训中学到了关于BDM的“一些新信息”。种植者通过田间日和农场示范接受了BDM培训,五个草莓种植者(Fragaria ×ananassa)自愿参加BDM试验。参与试验的种植者观察到PE地膜和BDM在杂草控制和水果产量方面没有差异。种植者表达了对土壤掺入后BDM生物降解缓慢的担忧,对土壤生物活性的潜在影响,BDM碎片的食品安全问题,以及BDM目前不允许用于有机生产。
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来源期刊
Horttechnology
Horttechnology 农林科学-园艺
CiteScore
2.30
自引率
10.00%
发文量
67
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: HortTechnology serves as the primary outreach publication of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Its mission is to provide science-based information to professional horticulturists, practitioners, and educators; promote and encourage an interchange of ideas among scientists, educators, and professionals working in horticulture; and provide an opportunity for peer review of practical horticultural information.
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