Author(s):
Andrade, Maria Cláudia Pereira de Araújo Santos
Date: 2011
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/4176
Origin: Repositório da UTL
Subject(s): stawberry; Fragaria x ananassa; conventional mulch film; biodegradable mulch film; autumn-winter cycle; sustainability
Description
Mestrado em Engenharia do Ambiente - Instituto Superior de Agronomia
An enormous amount of plastic waste resulting from the agricultural activities is produced every year. Part of this plastic remains in the fields, while the other part is sent to recycling or landfill. The use of biodegradable mulch films can play an important role towards a sustainable development in agricultural sector. These plastics can be plugged in the soil, after its use, among the crop residues. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of three different biodegradable mulch films (P1, P2 and P3) against the conventional polyethylene mulch film (P4), in the production of strawberries, during the autumn-winter cycle. The parameters followed during the crop cycle were yield, plant growth, fruit quality and pests and diseases. The biodegradable mulch films had different behaviors during the crop cycle, P3 showing the best performance with 85% soil coverage at the end of the crop cycle, followed by P2 and P1 with 70% and 20%, respectively. The soil coverage of the conventional mulch film was 100%. Compared to conventional mulch film, biodegradable mulches led to a decrease in the yield and in the harvest index, while there was an increase in the total dry biomass of the plants. Results obtained also showed that overall quality of fruits was not affected by the type of plastic. As a conclusion, this innovative agricultural practice can be an interesting alternative and a good opportunity for the farmers to try these promising alternatives to PE, without compromising the economical viability of its use, if there isn´t any decrease in the total yield.