This work was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (Award 2014-51181-22382 to JD) and the Spain Ministry of Education and Science (Ref. Soil Biol. Our best selling products are our 4 Year UV Resistant Greenhouse Plastic Sheeting, our Light Deprivation Greenhouse Plastic Sheeting, Silage Tarps, and Landscape Fabric.
doi: 10.1023/A:1021058810774. BDMs can be prepared from biobased polymers derived from microbes or plants, or fossil-sourced materials (Marechal, 2003). Impact of plastic film mulching on increasing greenhouse gas emissions in temperate upland soil during maize cultivation. 
4 Year UV Resistant 6 mil Clear Greenhouse Plastic SheetingFarm Plastic Supply offers one of the bes.. Total Blackout Greenhouse Plastic Sheeting 6 mil ThicknessIf youre looking for blackout plastic tha.. Landscape FabricLandscape fabric, also called weed barrier, weed control fabric, and garden fabric, .. Poly Cover Black Polyethylene Plastic SheetingEngineered from low-density polyethylene, our poly cov.. Poly Cover Clear Polyethylene Plastic SheetingEngineered from low-density polyethylene, our poly cov.. Poly Cover WhitePolyethylene Plastic SheetingEngineered from low-density polyethylene, our whi.. Gaps in our current understanding of how plastics affect soil ecosystems are highlighted. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.
Environ.
An, T., Schaeffer, S., Li, S., Fu, S., Pei, J., Li, H., et al. Soil Ecol. (2017). HortScience 52, 1015. et al., 2014). Application of organic amendments followed by soil plastic mulching reduces the incidence of Phytophthora capsici in pepper crops under temperate climate. Given some of the demonstrated effects on plants, these additives may also impact soil microbes and their functions, though these effects are largely unexplored. Microplastics in the terrestrial ecosystem: implications for Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae). To date, the majority of soil studies related to plastic mulching have focused on PE.
Polym. Biodeterior. (2017). Application of biotests for the determination of soil ecotoxicity after exposure to biodegradable plastics. doi: 10.1007/s10924-005-5529-9, Fu, X., and Du, Q.
doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.10.074, Koitabashi, M., Noguchi, M. T., Sameshima-Yamashita, Y., Hiradate, S., Suzuki, K., Yoshida, S., et al.
AMB Express 5:10. doi: 10.1186/s13568-014-0088-x, Yu, Y., Zhao, C., Stahr, K., Zhao, X., and Jia, H. (2016). Res. 579, 814824. FIGURE 1.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.03.142. BioAgri Mulch Film is produced of Mater-Bi, a bioplastic raw material created by complexing starch with polyesters. Degrad. Crop productivity and soil properties as affected by polyethylene film mulch and land configurations in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) (Einfluss von polyethylenfilm-mulch und feldbeschaffenheit auf ertrag und bodeneigenschaften im erdnussanbau [Arachis hypogaea L.]). 59, 1158511588. Plastic mulching in agriculture-Friend or foe of N2O emissions? 80, 5361. This 6 milBlack/White film is used so growers can get multiple flowering cycles throughout the year during the extended sunlight months.
22, 422426.
(2014b). Environ. At the end of a crop cycle, BioAgri Mulch Film residues can simply be plowed into the soil. Our silage protection sheeting and uv plastic sheeting rolls are treated to last up to 18 months of rays.
doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.09.006, Van Wezel, A., Van Vlaardingen, P., Posthumus, R., Crommentuijn, G., and Sijm, D. (2000).
The total amount of carbon in BDMs is small, and much of it is expected to be respired as CO2. Organic compounds released from mulch polymers have been found to be absorbed by crop plants (Du et al., 2009; Li et al., 2014c; Chen N. et al., 2017). Assessment of aliphaticaromatic copolyester biodegradable mulch films. 22, 25842598.
J. Curr. Arch. Agron. components, whose effects are largely unknown. Environmental performance of bio-based and biodegradable plastics: the road ahead. (2014). The composting of food waste and other organics is an important and growing initiative in many parts of the world, and BioBag is proud to contribute to this initiative by offering a wide variety of compostable products. doi: 10.1080/02652030903081952, Duis, K., and Coors, A. Our blackout greenhouse plastic sheeting have the perfect balance of weight and strength for a light deprivation greenhouse film. Biodegradation 111, 5461. Sci. J. Environ. Plastic mulching in agriculture. J. Agric.
Lett. Ecotoxicol. Agron. Agricultural plastic mulch films are used in production of specialty crops to modify soil temperatures, conserve soil moisture (Kader et al., 2017) and reduce weed pressure (Martn-Closas et al., 2017), ultimately improving crop productivity. By serving as a barrier to evaporation, plastic mulches can result in increased soil moisture levels (Qin et al., 2015) which can ultimately alter soil physical structure; for example by increasing the proportion of water stable aggregates (Siwek et al., 2015). When it comes to growers and farmers, we have the greenhouse plastic sheeting to get the job done. Plastic film mulching increases soil respiration in ridge-furrow maize management. However, widespread use of PE, which is not biodegradable, has resulted in serious environmental contamination (Teuten et al., 2009; Liu E.K. (2011). Soil contamination by phthalate esters in Chinese intensive vegetable production systems with different modes of use of plastic film. A laboratory approach. 60, 8797. For example, tests of the starch-copolyester blend Mater-Bi (Novamont, Novara, Italy) have shown no ecotoxic effects (Sforzini et al., 2016), nor adverse effect on nitrification potential (ISO 14238:2012) (Ardisson et al., 2014), Enchytraeus albidus reproduction (ISO/CD 16387), or Vibrio fischeri (ISO 11348 flash test) (Kapanen et al., 2008). doi: 10.1016/j.cropro.2010.12.012, Barnes, D. K., Galgani, F., Thompson, R. C., and Barlaz, M. (2009). doi: 10.2503/jjshs.76.279, Qin, W., Hu, C. S., and Oenema, O. 52, 79103. and inorganic (e.g., Cu, Ni, etc.)
doi: 10.1007/s10705-015-9678-5, Liu, J. L., Zhu, L., Luo, S. S., Bu, L. D., Chen, X. P., Yue, S. C., et al. Plastic mulches also introduce various additives such as plasticizing agents which may pollute soil (Van Wezel et al., 2000; Fu and Du, 2011; Kong et al., 2012; Magdouli et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2013, 2015). Dev. C), 228234. We focus on high-quality products, superior customer service and our unique customization capabilities.
Characteristics and mechanisms of acrylate polymer damage to maize seedlings. Long-term effect of plastic film mulching and fertilization on bacterial communities in a brown soil revealed by high through-put sequencing. (2008). 13, 83100. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2017.01.001, Kapanen, A., Schettini, E., Vox, G., and Itvaara, M. (2008). In addition, BDM incorporation into soil can result in enhanced microbial activity and enrichment of fungal taxa.
5:710. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00710, PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar, Arriaga, H., Nunez-Zofio, M., Larregla, S., and Merino, P. (2011). It should also be considered whether enhanced BDM decomposition would impact cycling of other nutrients.
Soil Sci.
Sci. Degradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films in soil environment by phylloplane fungi isolated from gramineous plants. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b05478, Imam, S. H., Cinelli, P., Gordon, S. H., and Chiellini, E. (2005). Sci. 523, 7481. doi: 10.1007/s10924-004-1215-6, Kader, M. A., Senge, M., Mojid, M. A., and Ito, K. (2017). Tilled into soil, BDMs are an input of carbon, albeit a very small one when taking into account the volume of soil into which they are incorporated. The majority of these studies examine only one soil type or location; one of the few studies to examine responses in multiple locations showed an enrichment of fungi in one location and Gram-positive bacteria in another (Li et al., 2014b) indicating that microbial responses to BDMs may be affected by environment, soil type and/or management legacies. 35, 519534. Soil mulching significantly enhances yields and water and nitrogen use efficiencies of maize and wheat: a meta-analysis. Blends of polyvinylalcohol and functionalised polycaprolactone. This is our TBO product, TOTAL BLACKOUT. Int. 64, 8595. Sci. Occurrence and risk assessment of phthalate esters (PAEs) in vegetables and soils of suburban plastic film greenhouses. Marechal, F. (2003). Water Manag. Second, frequently used tests fail to reckon the changing needs and responses throughout plant development by only focusing on germination. (2014a). One way that plastic mulches (both BDMs and PE) may indirectly affect soil ecosystems and microbial community functioning is via modification of soil microclimate and atmosphere. Our greenhouse blackout film is the best and most practical for promoting flowering and is the choice of experts growing across the United States. Pollut. 13, 349355. Copyright 2018 Bandopadhyay, Martin-Closas, Pelacho and DeBruyn.
Carbon fluxes from plants to soil and dynamics of microbial immobilization under plastic film mulching and fertilizer application using 13 C pulse-labeling. To address the current knowledge gaps, long term studies and a better understanding of impacts of BDMs on nutrient biogeochemistry are needed. Appl.
Agricultural plastic mulch films are widely used in specialty crop production systems because of their agronomic benefits. Hortic. 129, 338346. Biotechnol. doi: 10.1007/s00253-014-6267-5, Chen, H., Liu, J., Zhang, A., Chen, J., Cheng, G., Sun, B., et al. Technol. We have a large variety of engineered greenhouse plastic sheeting for agricultural applications. Therefore, it is conceivable that under conditions restricting soil microbiological activity (e.g., water scarcity), BDM fragments may accumulate in soil with similar effects on soil and plants. Temporal and spatial variation of soil respiration under mulching in a greenhouse cucumber cultivation. News Articles, Media, Press & Product Reviews, Swedish Strawberry Producer Uses BioAgri Compostable Film, Successful Danish Winegrowers Use BioAgri Compostable Film, Speed up the germination and cultivation cycles, Eliminate or reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides, Keep fertilizers and nutrients closer to the plant, Prevent fruits & vegetables from direct contact with the soil, Made from a resin derived from plants, vegetable oils and compostable polymers just like all our traditional BioBag compostable products for food and yard waste, Customized life span, tailored for different crops, No residues like traditional plastic in the field, An efficient alternative, in both agronomic and environmental terms to traditional plastic film, Saves time and therefore costs required to remove and dispose of traditional plastic film, Offers a family of grades fit for purpose, Decrease of pollution caused by PE plastic in our environment. Soils 48, 787795. Meteorol. J. 116, 256263. Effects of groundcover management on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in an apple orchard. Recent advances in mulching materials and methods for modifying soil environment. Copyright 2022 Ginegar Plastic Products Ltd. All rights reserved. Polym. 113, 3644. Saf. The plastic sheeting are easy to unroll and also have friction additives so that tire walls and weigh downs stay in place after the bunker cover is stretched. Biomacromolecules 7, 31253131. Microbial community structure and abundance in the rhizosphere and bulk soil of a tomato cropping system that includes cover crops. Study of aliphatic-aromatic copolyester degradation in sandy soil and its ecotoxicological impact. We offer greenhouse film, greenhouse blackout covers, and greenhouse plastic sheeting. Studies on nutrient transformation related to BDM use are limited; two studies reported that BDMs, like PE films, had no measurable impact on nitrification potential of soils (Kapanen et al., 2008; Ardisson et al., 2014); effects on other nutrients remain unknown. Soil Sci. As a physical barrier, BDMs are expected to have similar, though not identical, indirect effects on soil microbes via microclimate modification; the outstanding question is how these effects play out when direct incorporation and biodegradation of BDMs are taken into consideration. Biodegradation of agricultural plastic films: a critical review.
We stock our products and also cut our greenhouse plastic sheeting to length to bring you a top quality product at a great price with minimal waste. BioBag cooperates with international universities and research institutions to continually develop the characteristics of BioAgri Mulch Film. Mater. Soc. *Correspondence: Jennifer M. DeBruyn, jdebruyn@utk.edu, Introduction: Agricultural Plastic Mulch Films, Indirect Effects of Plastic Mulches on Soils via Microclimate Modification, Direct Effects of BDMs via Incorporation Into Soil, Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). Environ. The few available comparative studies show that microbial activity is enhanced under BDMs.
Influences of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) on soil microbiota and plant growth. BDMs are tilled into the soil at the end of the growing season, introducing physical fragments and a carbon source, along with other components of the plastic films (additives, plasticizers, minerals, etc.) Total Environ. doi: 10.1016/S1002-0160(17)60340-0, Chen, X., Mao, X., Lu, Q., Liao, Z., and He, Z. doi: 10.1016/j.ibiod.2016.04.024, Magdouli, S., Daghrir, R., Brar, S. K., Drogui, P., and Tyagi, R. D. (2013). Plastic mulches form a barrier on the soil surface which influences soil temperature, moisture and soil-air gas exchange, indirectly altering the microbial communities. Environ. doi: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.01.014, Munoz, K., Schmidt-Heydt, M., Stoll, D., Diehl, D., Ziegler, J., Geisen, R., et al. (2015). Finally, the diversity of plant responses in the ecosystem is narrowly represented by tests that analyze early growth in a few, mostly vigorous, plant species. The extent of these modifications depends on their physicochemical properties; for example, PE mulches result in greater warming compared to BDMs (Moreno and Moreno, 2008; Kader et al., 2017) and are less vapor-permeable (Touchaleaume et al., 2016) resulting in accumulation of soil CO2 (Zhang et al., 2015; Yu et al., 2016). 129(Suppl. Chem. B Biol. doi: 10.1016/S2095-3119(15)61106-6, Nishimura, S., Komada, M., Takebe, M., Yonemura, S., and Kato, N. (2012). (2013). BioAgri Mulch Film can be delivered in many different sizes and qualities, all depending on the type of agriculture that is going to be cultivated. Nitrous oxide evolved from soil covered with plastic mulch film in horticultural field.
Pesqui.
With respect to N2O gas release, results are mixed, with some studies reporting decreases (Berger et al., 2013; Li et al., 2014d; Liu J.L. 364, 20272045. Uptake of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate from plastic mulch film by vegetable plants. Biotechnol. Philos. Contribution of soil esterase to biodegradation of aliphatic polyester agricultural mulch film in cultivated soils. Manage. Soil Ecol. 118, 207211. Total Environ. doi: 10.1080/15324982.2015.1018456, Keywords: biodegradable plastic, plastic mulch, polyethylene, specialty crops, soil microbiology, soil microclimate, soil biogeochemistry, soil health, Citation: Bandopadhyay S, Martin-Closas L, Pelacho AM and DeBruyn JM (2018) Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films: Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities and Ecosystem Functions. Food Chem. This review summarizes the current literature on impacts of plastic mulches on soil biological and biogeochemical processes, with a special emphasis on BDMs. Manag. J. Jpn. Polyethylene mulch stimulates early root growth and nutrient uptake of transplanted tomatoes. Other studies reported improved control of Phytophthora capsici (Nez-Zofo et al., 2011) or increased mycotoxigenic fungi under plastic mulches (Munoz et al., 2015). doi: 10.1017/S0021859613000701, Lin, Y.-B., Xue, Q.-H., and Yan, X.
Biochem. Suitability of biodegradable plastic mulches for organic and sustainable agricultural production systems. Soil health is a key component of agroecosystem sustainability, thus there is a need to understand the effects of BDMs on both crop productivity and soils. Repeated tilling of BDM fragments into soil may alter the soil physical environment and act as a new source of carbon for microbes. (2016). Some studies report increased microbial activity under mulches (Mu et al., 2014, 2016; Zhang et al., 2015; Chen H. et al., 2017), while others report decreased activity (Moreno and Moreno, 2008). 50, 26852691. 
There is evidence that BDMs enrich for certain taxa, for example, PBSA films preferentially selected for Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Acanthamoeba fungi (Koitabashi et al., 2012) and PBAT film surfaces were enriched in Ascomycota (Apodus, Saccharicola, Setophoma), and Proteobacteria (Hyphomicrobium, Caenimonas) (Muroi et al., 2016). Effect of different biodegradable and polyethylene mulches on soil properties and production in a tomato crop. Response of nitrous oxide emission to soil mulching and nitrogen fertilization in semi-arid farmland.
Additionally, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the ecological consequences of BDM degradation products (Lambert and Wagner, 2017). Soil solarization with biodegradable materials and its impact on soil microbial communities. Crop Prot. 15, 451464.
The editor and reviewer's affiliations are the latest provided on their Loop research profiles and may not reflect their situation at the time of review. Fourth, several studies have indicated that BDMs may stimulate decomposition; however, effects on nutrient biogeochemistry are largely unexplored.
Plastic mulches are composed not only of the main polymers but also of small amounts of organic (e.g., additives, plasticizers, etc.) doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.6b00223, He, L., Gielen, G., Bolan, N. S., Zhang, X., Qin, H., Huang, H., et al. Regulators and growers cite concerns about unpredictable or incomplete breakdown and the ultimate fate of BDM constituents and their effect on soil ecosystems (Goldberger et al., 2015; Miles et al., 2017). Biodegradable plastics, in Biodegradable Polymers and Plastics, eds E. Chiellini and R. Solaro (New York, NY: Springer). Arch. Environ. 99, 10391056. Environ. 101, 271283. Total Environ. Ecotoxicol. 29, 432453. Degradation of potentially biodegradable plastic mulch films at three diverse US locations. (2015).
Environmental risk limits for two phthalates, with special emphasis on endocrine disruptive properties. First, different compounds are released at different times during the biodegradation process. Environ. Siwek, P., Domagala-Swiatkiewicz, I., and Kalisz, A. Appl.
SB and JD conceived of the review topic and were responsible for final editing. Sci. 167, 4351. Appl.
doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.03.018, Cuello, J. P., Hwang, H. Y., Gutierrez, J., Kim, S. Y., and Kim, P. J. 23, 111117. 9:3. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/9/9/091001, Liu, J., Zhan, A., Chen, H., Luo, S., Bu, L., Chen, X., et al. However, there are considerable gaps in our understanding of how long-term use of BDMs affects soil ecosystems that are critical to crop productivity. (2012). (2015). Agric. doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2004.04.040, Li, F.-M., Wang, J., Xu, J.-Z., and Xu, H.-L. (2004b). doi: 10.1080/03650340500421786, Teuten, E. L., Saquing, J. M., Knappe, D. R., Barlaz, M. A., Jonsson, S., Bjrn, A., et al. Films with mutli-year life spans are also available. Microplastic in Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Soil? (2017). A phytotoxicity test of several chemicals used in bioplastics found that some exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of plant growth (Martin-Closas et al., 2014). doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2014.02.010, Lucas, N., Bienaime, C., Belloy, C., Queneudec, M., Silvestre, F., and Nava-Saucedo, J.-E. (2008). Pollut.
Sustain. Effects of straw and plastic film mulching on greenhouse gas emissions in Loess Plateau, China: a field study of 2 consecutive wheat-maize rotation cycles. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2011.01.013.
Physicochemical and microbial soil quality indicators as affected by the agricultural management system in strawberry cultivation using straw or black polyethylene mulching. Food Syst. Biomacromolecules 17, 20272039. In addition to changes in microbial community structure, plastic film mulches affect microbial functioning. Plastic mulching also affects cycling and losses of nitrogen in soils (Qin et al., 2015; Nan et al., 2016).
From PE studies, we can infer that BDMs may have similar indirect effects and alter microbial community structure and diversity. Sci. doi: 10.1300/J064v13n01_07, Sforzini, S., Oliveri, L., Chinaglia, S., and Viarengo, A. Thus, it is not surprising that studies examining SOC under plastic mulches have yielded mixed results, with some reporting increased microbial biomass carbon (Li et al., 2004a; An et al., 2015) and SOC (Munoz et al., 2017) and others no change (Wang et al., 2016) or decreased SOC (Cuello et al., 2015). Fertil. doi: 10.1016/S0929-1393(03)00025-8, Moreno, M. M., and Moreno, A. (2016). Our silage film is widely trusted as feed pile covers and bunker covers. Microbiol. 228, 4251. 30, 143153. J. Phytoremediation 16, 609620. Acrylate polymers used to maintain soil humidity damaged maize root and shoot development (Chen et al., 2016). Food Addit.
Wien, H. C., Minotti, P. L., and Grubinger, V. P. (1993).
AMB Express 2:40. doi: 10.1186/2191-0855-2-40, Kong, S., Ji, Y., Liu, L., Chen, L., Zhao, X., Wang, J., et al.
Gaseous emissions from soil biodisinfestation by animal manure on a greenhouse pepper crop. Rev. Taken together, the changes in microbial community structures, stimulated microbial decomposition, and increased microbial biomass suggest enhanced nutrient and carbon cycling under BDMs, which may result in long term effects on soil organic matter dynamics. Meets the requirements according to the European Standard EN 13432 and the US Standard ASTM D6400. Effect of mulching mode and wheat root on soil microbial flora. Trading short-term agronomic benefits for long-term soil degradation? R. Soc. As a barrier on the soil surface, plastic mulches reduce evaporation and gas exchange, increase temperature and reduce light transmissivity (Figure 1; Kasirajan and Ngouajio, 2012). Analysis of long-term degradation behaviour of polyethylene mulching films with pro-oxidants under real cultivation and soil burial conditions. et al., 2014; He et al., 2015; Steinmetz et al., 2016). Steinmetz, Z., Wollmann, C., Schaefer, M., Buchmann, C., David, J., Troger, J., et al.
doi: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2014.02.012, Li, C., Moore-Kucera, J., Miles, C., Leonas, K., Lee, J., Corbin, A., et al. Agric. (2008). Biodegradable plastic mulches are a promising alternative to PE plastic film mulches. The combined findings indicated that when used as a surface barrier, plastic mulches altered soil microbial community composition and functioning via microclimate modification, though the nature of these alterations varied between studies. Indeed, Qin et al. Second, the relationship between plastic composition and microbial responses needs exploration: different types of biodegradable plastics will likely differentially affect soil microbes, based on both the parent polymer composition and breakdown products. doi: 10.21273/HORTSCI11249-16, Miarro, M., and Dapena, E. (2003). However, the growth of soil microbes in agricultural soil is usually carbon-limited and several studies have demonstrated responses by soil microbes to these small inputs. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.02.101, Wang, J., Luo, Y., Teng, Y., Ma, W., Christie, P., and Li, Z. 
Despite these constraints, some effects have emerged. Z., Fu, X. W., and Xia, H. L. (2009). The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0205, Barragn, D., Pelacho, A., and Martin-Closas, L. (2016). We also have bunker covers with factory welds up to 100' wide. 32, 501529.
Since levels of soil moisture, temperature, vapor diffusivity and presence of roots modulate microbial activity, it follows that modifications to soil microclimate under plastic mulches affect soil microbial communities.