Plastic Film Mulching for Water-Efficient Agricultural Applications and Degradable Films Materials Development Research

Yang, Ning; Sun, Zenghui; Liu, Feng; Zheng, Muzi; Chi, Daocai; Meng, Wei-Zhong; ZhiYan, Hou; Bai, Wei; Li, Kaiyu

doi:10.1080/10426914.2014.930958

Cited by 140 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…A technique which is gaining popularity in China is the use of plastic film to cover the soil (Deng et al, 2006;Espí et al, 2006;Zhang et al, 2005;Xu et al, 2015;Yang et al, 2015a). Plastic film has two effects (1) it reduces evaporation, E, and (2) it raises soil temperature.…”

Section: Agronomic Options For Groundwater Savingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The problem with a comparison of the prices of these two sorts of plastics is that it only considers the production costs of the plastics and not the environmental costs of plastic pollution. Biodegradable plastic can be produced out of wheat and maize straw (Alun et al, 2012;Pradhan et al, 2010;Yang et al, 2015a), which is abundant in the North China Plain. This straw is now incorporated into the soil, left on the surface as mulch, or burnt to eliminate pathogens in the straw.…”

Section: Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Towards groundwater neutral cropping systems in the Alluvial Fans of the North China Plain

Oort

Wang

Vos

et al. 2016

Agricultural Water Management

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a b s t r a c tGroundwater levels in the North China Plain (NCP), the bread basket of China, have dropped more than one meter per year over the last 40 years, putting at risk the long term productivity of this region. Groundwater decline is most severe in the Alluvial Fans where our study site is located. Avoiding a foreseeable systems collapse requires region-wide changes in crop systems management, underpinned by sound environmental policies. Here, we explore the potential of crop system adaptation to remedy the excessive water use and quantify the likely yield penalties associated with more sustainable water use practices. Using simulations with the APSIM cropping systems model we explore production opportunities in an area within the NCP with intensive cropping and no access to irrigation from rivers. We estimate the attainable production levels for wheat and maize if agriculture were made groundwater neutral, through changes in crop sequence, irrigation practices and water conservation technologies (e.g. mulching with plastic film). Total grain production would drop by 44% compared to current practice if agriculture were made groundwater neutral. Water conservation by plastic film could limit this reduction to 21-33% but possible environmental impacts of plastic film need attention. This analysis facilitates a much needed debate on alternative agronomic practices and incentives through a quantitative comparison of adaptation options. Our biophysical analysis needs to be complemented with socio-economic considerations and discussions with all stakeholders. Similar analyses in other parts of the NCP are possible but require more accurate modelling of landscape hydrology and (towards the coast) risk of salt water intrusion.

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Section: Agronomic Options For Groundwater Savingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards groundwater neutral cropping systems in the Alluvial Fans of the North China Plain

Oort

Wang

Vos

et al. 2016

Agricultural Water Management

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“…In particular, it is widely used in arid and semi-arid regions where water is limited to increase soil temperature, reduce evaporation, and increase crop yields [2][3][4][5]. Despite its positive effect on crop yields, plastic mulch film has poor degradability and, therefore, also causes problems like soil pollution, residual microplastics, and altered root development [6][7][8]. Using environmentally friendly and degradable mulch films to replace ordinary plastic mulch films is a potential technique to reduce the pollution from residual films.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the Effect of Mulch Film on Crops in the Arid Agricultural Region of China under Future Climate Scenarios

Deng

Meng

et al. 2019

Water

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Plastic mulch film is widely used in agricultural production. However, there are very few studies on degradable mulch film. In order to investigate the effects of using degradable mulch film in arid regions on crop yield and water use efficiency, we used fully biodegradable mulch films on both maize and bare land cultivation experimental areas. The DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model was used to analyze changes in maize biomass in the future under different climate scenario models. We found that using fully biodegradable mulch film in an arid region had a positive effect on biomass yields. In 2015-2017, the annual maize biomass yield increased by 24.5%, 28.9%, and 32.9%, respectively. Hence, this method has expansion and promotion value. A comparison of the DNDC model simulated biomass yields and actual measured values found that the ranges of R2, root mean square error (RMSE), and model efficiency (ME) were 0.98-0.99, 0.38-0.86 mg C ha −1 , and 0.80-0.98. This result shows that the DNDC model can accurately simulate changes in maize biomass in this region. Under the premise of a good model fit, future climate scenario model data were used to drive the DNDC model. The results showed that the possible range of maize biomass yields in the future is −6.5% to 10.3%, with the most probable range being 0.2-1.5%. Using future climatic conditions, our work suggests that degradable mulch films can increase water use efficiency by an average of 9.5%. The results of this study can be used to promote the use of degradable mulch films in arid regions, significantly improving sustainable agricultural development.

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“…This kind of situation is obvious in the farmland with a large amount of RPF. Soil residues influence water and fertilizer absorption, which in turn affect seedling growth in cotton [33] . Moreover, cotton root system is generally weak during the seedling stage.…”

Section: Effect Of Rpf On Plant Height and Stem Diametermentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of agricultural residual plastic film on the growth and yield of drip-irrigated cotton in arid region of Xinjiang, China

Wang¹,

Wang²,

Liu³

et al. 2020

International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

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Long-term and widespread use of plastic mulching has led to the accumulation of residual plastic film (RPF) in farmland soils of Xinjiang, China. However, there is no specific quantitative basis for RPF pollution or a clear understanding of the influence of residual film on crop growth. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of RPF on the growth of cotton, an important cash crop of Xinjiang. Based on the field conditions and previous reports, various amount of residual film was applied in 0-30 cm soil layer. The growth index including emergence rate, dry matter, and yield of cotton was examined at different growth stages under different soil residual film levels. Results demonstrated a significant effect of RPF on soil moisture distribution and movement. Plastic residues had a significant effect on cotton growth at levels above 200 kg/hm 2 , and the yield decreased as the RPF amount increased. Based on these findings, 200 kg/hm 2 was suggested as a threshold level to determine the effects of RPF on cotton. This study provided a basis to rate RPF pollution in farmland soils and help understand the impact of pollution on crop productivity.

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Plastic Film Mulching for Water-Efficient Agricultural Applications and Degradable Films Materials Development Research

Cited by 140 publications

References 43 publications

Towards groundwater neutral cropping systems in the Alluvial Fans of the North China Plain

Towards groundwater neutral cropping systems in the Alluvial Fans of the North China Plain

Assessment of the Effect of Mulch Film on Crops in the Arid Agricultural Region of China under Future Climate Scenarios

Impact of agricultural residual plastic film on the growth and yield of drip-irrigated cotton in arid region of Xinjiang, China

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