Soil Degradation of Polylactic Acid/Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Based Nonwoven Mulches

Dharmalingam, Sathiskumar; Hayes, Douglas G.; Wadsworth, Larry C.; Dunlap, Rachel N.; DeBruyn, Jennifer M.; Lee, Jaehoon; Wszelaki, Annette

doi:10.1007/s10924-015-0716-9

Cited by 57 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Furthermore, due to its high UV stability and low flammability it is widely used in nondiscoloring textiles and fabrics for uses in agricultural applications [3,4]. PLA is also biocompatible and resorbable so that it finds increasing applications in the medical sector for controlled drug delivery [5] and tissue engineering [6][7][8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasticizing effect of biobased epoxidized fatty acid esters on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)

et al. 2016

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Poly(lactic acid)-PLA is a polyester that can be produced from lactic acid derived from renewable resources. This polymer offers attracting uses in packaging industry due to its biodegradability and high tensile strength. However, PLA is quite brittle, which limits its applications. To overcome this drawback, PLA was plasticized with epoxy-type plasticizer derived from a fatty acid, octyl epoxy stearate (OES) at different loading (1, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 phr). The addition of OES decreases the glass transition temperature and provides a remarkable increase in elongation at break and impact absorbed energy.Plasticizer saturation occurs at relatively low concentrations of about 5 phr OES; higher concentration leads to phase separation as observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Optimum balanced mechanical properties are obtained at relatively low concentrations of OES (5 phr) thus indicating the usefulness of this material as environmentally friendly plasticizer for PLA industrial formulations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasticizing effect of biobased epoxidized fatty acid esters on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)

et al. 2016

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“…Cowan et al (2016) and Thompson et al (2019) reported that bio-based plastic mulches have lower tensile strength and mechanical resistance compared with PE mulch. Dharmalingam et al (2015) and Mendes et al (2016) reported that tensile strength of plastic mulches is reduced when thermoplastic starch [e.g., polylactic acid (PLA)] is included. All BDMs used in this study contain bio-based materials (e.g., PLA and starch).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic Mulches Improved Plant Growth and Suppressed Weeds in Late Summer-planted Floricane-fruiting Raspberry

Zhang¹,

Miles²,

Ghimire³

et al. 2020

horts

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Planting floricane-fruiting red raspberry (Rubus ideaus L.) propagated through tissue culture (TC) is becoming increasingly popular in the Pacific Northwest. However, there is a challenge associated with their establishment compared with traditional planting materials (dormant roots and canes), especially regarding weed management due to their sensitivity to herbicides. In addition, there has been an increased interest in late summer planting compared with traditional spring planting because growers find improved establishment in late summer planting. Although polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs) have demonstrated excellent weed control and increased plant growth and yield in spring-planted TC raspberry, their impacts in late summer plantings are still unknown. The overall objective of this study was to investigate whether PE mulch and BDMs have similar effects on weed management and raspberry growth and yield in late summer plantings as in spring plantings. One PE mulch, four BDMs (BASF 0.5, BASF 0.6, Novamont 0.5, and Novamont 0.6), and a bare ground (BG) control were evaluated in a commercial 'WakeHaven' raspberry field planted in Aug. 2017. Mulch performance [percent soil exposure (PSE)], mulch mechanical properties (elongation and breaking force), soil temperature and moisture, plant growth, fruit yield and quality, and weed suppression were measured from 2017 to 2019. Average PSE was 1.4% and 2.0% to 15.0% by Dec. 2017 in the PE and BDM treatments, respectively. PE mulch generally had greater elongation and breaking force than BDMs. All BDMs were removed by Mar. 2018 because of the damage caused by on-farm activities and strong winds. Although average primocane height was greater for plants grown with PE mulch compared with all the other treatments except BASF 0.5 in Sept. 2018, there was no difference in yield between PE and the BG treatments, potentially because of cold damage on the buds in PE plots. There were no weeds in any of the mulched treatments in Sept. and Oct. 2017 and in PE mulch in Sept. 2018. In contrast, the BG plots had 51, 51, and 266 weeds/m 2 , respectively, and required handweeding and herbicide applications. In addition, early season application of herbicides to suppress primocane emergence was not required in the PE plots. Overall, PE mulch could be a viable tool for growers planting raspberry in late summer. The suitability of BDMs with similar thicknesses and formulations as used in this experiment is uncertain for late summer plantings because of the damage caused by on-farm activities and strong winds.

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“…The experimental design was a split-plot design with four replicate blocks; main plots were arranged as a randomized complete block design. The two main plot treatments were high tunnel and open field, and were assigned randomly within each replication and remained fixed throughout this 3-year study (Dharmalingam et al, 2015). Subplots measured 4.3 m long and were randomized within each main plot in 2010.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Summary of mulch products and their properties used in a study carried out at Mount Vernon, WA, during 2010-12 tomato growing seasons. Adapted from Dharmalingam et al (2015). y Fiber diameter is not applicable to films and cellulose mulches.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual Assessments of Biodegradable Mulch Deterioration Are Not Indicative of Changes in Mechanical Properties

Cowan

Saxton

Liu

et al. 2016

horts

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The functionality of biodegradable mulch can be evaluated in agricultural field settings by visually assessing mulch intactness over time (a measure of deterioration), but it is unclear if mulch deterioration is indicative of mulch degradation as measured by mechanical properties (like breaking force and elongation). This 3-year study (2010–12) examined mulch percent visual deterioration (PVD) during the summer growing season in open-field and high tunnel production systems, and compared these to mulch mechanical properties at mulch installation (12–30 May), midseason (22 July–9 Aug.), and season end (6–25 Oct.), to determine if the field-based measures reliably predict degradation as revealed by changes in mulch mechanical properties. Four different types of biodegradable mulches [two plastic film mulches marketed as biodegradable (BioAgri and BioTelo); one fully biodegradable paper mulch (WeedGuardPlus); and, one experimental spunbonded plastic mulch designed to biodegrade (SBPLA)] were evaluated against a standard nonbiodegradable polyethylene (PE) mulch where tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Celebrity) was planted as the model crop. Each year for the 3 years, PVD increased earlier for WeedGuardPlus than the other mulches in both the high tunnel and open field, and WeedGuardPlus had the greatest PVD in both high tunnels and the open field (6% and 48%, respectively). Mechanical strength of WeedGuardPlus also declined by the end of the season both in the high tunnel (up to 46% reduction) and in the open field (up to 81% reduction). PVD of BioAgri and BioTelo reached a maximum of 3% in the high tunnel and 28% in the open field by the end of the season. Mechanical strength of BioAgri and BioTelo did not change over the course of the season in either the open field or high tunnel, even though the ability of these mulches to elongate or stretch declined 89% in the open field and 82% in the high tunnel. SBPLA and PE mulches did not show a change in PVD or mechanical properties in either the high tunnel or the open field. Overall, PVD was three to six times greater by midseason in the open field than in the high tunnels. Although there were significant relationships between visual assessments and various mechanical properties for each mulch except SBPLA, the relationships differed for each mulch when evaluated separately and had coefficients of determination (R2) below 30%. Furthermore, PVD overestimated mechanical deterioration of BioAgri and BioTelo. Results of this study indicate that mulch visual assessments may reflect general trends in changes in certain mechanical properties of the mulch; however, visual assessment and mechanical properties provide different information on deterioration. Each should be used as needed, but not as a substitute for each other.

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Soil Degradation of Polylactic Acid/Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Based Nonwoven Mulches

Cited by 57 publications

References 47 publications

Plasticizing effect of biobased epoxidized fatty acid esters on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)

Plasticizing effect of biobased epoxidized fatty acid esters on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)

Plastic Mulches Improved Plant Growth and Suppressed Weeds in Late Summer-planted Floricane-fruiting Raspberry

Visual Assessments of Biodegradable Mulch Deterioration Are Not Indicative of Changes in Mechanical Properties

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