Introduction
Plastic (polyethylene) mulch has been used as a tool in agriculture since the 1950s to reduce weed competition, control water loss, raise soil temperature, increase yield, improve crop quality, and shorten harvest time. U.S. agriculture uses about 1 billion pounds of plastic mulch per year, and because recycling of agricultural plastic is not available in most regions, the disposal option that most growers choose is the landfill. Biodegradable mulch (BDM) has been developed as an environmentally-friendly alternative to polyethylene mulch. At WSU, we are testing BDMs to find effective and affordable alternatives to polyethylene mulch to reduce non-recyclable waste.
Our BDM research began in 2003 when we started working with companies to field test their BDMs. Our research projects include:
- Application of polyethylene (PE) and BDM mulches in tissue culture red raspberry
- Use of BDMs for spring-planted day-neutral strawberry
- Fall-planted day-neutral strawberry grown with BDMs (new research)
- Tomato yield and fruit quality using BDMs in the open field and high tunnels
- Impact of BDM on pie pumpkin yield and fruit quality
In addition to our BDM work, we are also exploring new applications of non-degradable plastic mulches and improved end-of-life management strategies for mulch waste.