Training materials are available for professional development workshops, extension conferences, grower workshops, and undergraduate and graduate courses, which can also be used at the high school level. Materials include PowerPoint slides, presenter notes, short videos that demonstrate soil-biodegradable mulch (BDM) use and assessment, and factsheets. Professional development training regarding BDM is available upon request, email Carol Miles (milesc@wsu.edu).
Course Lectures
Fact Sheets and Publications
- New! In-Field Biodegradation of Soil-Biodegradable Mulch
- Barreto, C., M. C. Rillig, W. R. Waldman, and S. Maaß. 2021. How soil invertebrates deal with microplastic contamination. Front. Young Minds. 9:625228.
- Glossary of terms associated with soil-biodegradable mulches for specialty crops
- Soil fumigation and soil-biodegradable plastic mulch
- Soil sampling for visible plastic fragments post tillage (PDF)
- Using mesh bags to assess degradation of soil-biodegradable plastic mulches
- NEW! What is in a BDM?
Videos
- Farmer Perspective on Soil-Biodegradable Mulch
- What is soil-biodegradable mulch?
- Deterioration and degradation of soil- biodegradable mulch
- Plastics in agriculture soils
- Economics of soil-biodegradable mulch use + mulch cost calculator
- Panel of growers using BDM internationally
- How to assess mulch deterioration as percent soil exposure (PSE)
- Soil sampling for visible plastic fragments post tillage
- Using mesh bags to assess degradation of soil-biodegradable plastic mulches
Podcasts