Author(s):
Carvalho, Lopo 
; Oliveira, Margarida ; Duarte, Elizabeth
Date: 2012
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/5712
Origin: Repositório da UTL
Subject(s): strawberry; Fragaria x Ananassa Duch.; mulching; polyethylene; bioplastics; sustainability
Description
The development of conventional mulch films made from polyethylene (PE)
really enhanced the commercial production of horticultural systems. However its
utilisation derives significant environmental impacts due to the problems associated
with its management at the end of the crop cycle. The process of PE removal always produces small fragments, caused by structural fragility at the end of the crop cycle, due
to continued exposure to environmental conditions. A solution to reduce the
environmental impacts related with this practice should include the development of
economically competitive biodegradable plastics, which at the end of the campaign can
be plough into the soil to naturally degrade there.
The aim of this study was to compare the field performance of a biodegradable
mulch film (agrobiofilm) against PE, in the production of strawberry (Fragaria x
ananassa Duch.) during the autumn production cycle, both in greenhouses and open
field conditions. The field trial was established in a 715m2 plot in Azeitada (Portugal).
Three completely randomised blocks of 25 plants per mulch were selected, on which
some parameters such as temperature and soil moisture, productivity and fruit quality
were evaluated.
The results obtained in greenhouse and open field conditions, as regards the
quality of the fruits, do not reveal any significant differences. Regarding the fruit yield
there were significant differences only in greenhouse production, with agrobiofilm
showing a higher fruit yield (35,2 tons/ha) compared to PE (31,0 ton/ha). Soil probes
showed that to a depth of 20cm the temperature was on average 1ºC higher under PE
mulch. However, at 30cm the soil conditions changed, being 1ºC higher under
agrobiofilm.
During the first year of AGROBIOFILM project, the tested biodegradable mulch
film showed to be a sustainable option to the replacement of PE based mulches, since it
finely adapted to the climatic conditions and conventional agricultural practices
