Use of Plastic Mulch Films in U.S. Strawberry Production

"Improved End-of-Life of Plastic Mulches"; illustration of large strawberry with tractor tilling mulch into a strawberry field.

Authors
Shuresh Ghimire¹, Srijana Shrestha², Ed Scheenstra², Huan Zhang², Carol Miles²

¹ University of Connecticut ²Washington State University

Summary:
The soil sampling method presented here can be used to estimate the amount of visible plastic fragments in the soil. This method does not distinguish between biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastic, nor does it directly measure the rate or full extent of biodegradation of soil-biodegradable mulch.

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, under award numbers 202251181-38325 & 2016-51181-25404, Hatch Projects 7005372 and 7003737, and CPPM award 2021-70006-35582. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy. Additional support provided by WSARE under award 2019-51181-30012.

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