Potentials of Biodegradable Plastic Mulch for Organic Farming

Plastic mulching is a critical agricultural practice for food production which provides multiple benefits, including water conservation, weed control, and increased crop yield and quality. However, the application of conventional polyethylene mulch films has led to plastic pollution in the terrestrial environment because mulch residues in fields are difficult to remove and recycle. To address this issue, soil-biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs) have been introduced to replace conventional polyethylene mulches, as BDMs are designed to provide desired agronomic outcomes as well as in-situ disposal and degradation. Thus, increasing interests have been expressed towards BDMs in both research and application areas. In this workshop, Dr. Yingxue (Charlie) Yu will an update about current knowledge around BDMs. Specifically, she will give an introduction about BDMs, current policies on usage of BDMs in organic farming, agronomical performance of BDMs, in-field degradation of BDMs, environmental impacts of BDMs, economics of BDMs, and challenges and potentials of BDMs in organic farming.