BEHAVIOUR OF BIODEGRADABLE FILMS USED FOR MULCHING IN MELON CULTIVATION

Many of the most important crops of the Region of Murcia (SE Spain) are grown semi-protected.
One such crop, which has 7,000 ha dedicated to its cultivation, is melon.
As in the case of many crops, transparent polyethylene mulching is used to increase soil temperature and therefore to bring forward harvesting.
The mulch is normally left on the ground at the end of the growth cycle since it is difficult to recycle.
Emerging biodegradable materials for mulching might be an alternative solution to polyethylene as long as the same thermal and mechanical features as the traditionally used material could be guaranteed.
Such materials would begin to degrade as the harvest was finishing, totally decomposing later.
The aim of our research was to evaluate the behaviour of four biodegradable materials and one LLDPE in the open-air cultivation of a Spanish melon cultivar in Mediterranean environmental conditions during the normal growing season for this crop (spring-summer). The results obtained show that the use of biodegradable materials produced similar yields than LLDPE. However, the biodegradable materials had disappeared 5–6 months after putting on position, whereas LLDPE remained in the ground.

VIII International Symposium on Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates: Advances in Soil and Soilless Cultivation under Protected Environment

J. López, A. González, J.A. Fernández, S. Bañón

mulch, open-air, semi-protected, contamination, mechanical properties

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.747.13