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Agronomy
Special Issues
Perennial Living Mulch Systems
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Perennial Living Mulch Systems

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Innovative Cropping Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2021) | Viewed by 13723

Special Issue Editor

Dr. John M. Baker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
USDA-ARS,Soil & Water Management Unit, 439 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It has long been recognized that maintenance of vegetative cover in row crop agriculture is important for protecting soils against runoff, maintaining soil carbon, and reducing offsite transport of sediment and nutrients to surface waters. Most attention has been focused on winter annual cover crops, which are planted after fall harvest and removed in spring prior to planting. However, in colder climates, it is challenging to get them planted and adequately established in the window between harvest and the onset of winter, and in all cases, it is an additional cost burden to buy and plant cover crops year after year. These factors have motivated research on the use of perennial species as cover crops, often referred to as living mulches—species or mixes that can be planted once and maintained for multiple years while summer annual row crops are planted into them.

In this issue, we solicit contributions describing original research on these systems—including the various species that have been employed, the management strategies that have been tested and developed, and the associated impacts on both crop yields and environmental outcomes.

Prof. Dr. John M. Baker
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • perennial cover crops
  • living mulch systems
  • erosion control
  • sediment reduction
  • vegetative cover
  • ground cover
  • companion crops

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 3656 KiB  
Communication
Bioplastic Film from Black Soldier Fly Prepupae Proteins Used as Mulch: Preliminary Results
by Leonardo Setti, Enrico Francia, Andrea Pulvirenti, Riccardo De Leo, Simone Martinelli, Lara Maistrello, Laura Ioana Macavei, Monia Montorsi, Silvia Barbi and Domenico Ronga
Agronomy 2020, 10(7), 933; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10070933 - 29 Jun 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4499
Abstract
A protein-based film (PBF), obtained from black soldier fly prepupae proteins, was assessed for its agronomic performance as mulch. PBF was investigated in a potting experiment and compared with Mater-Bi (MB), polyethylene (PE) and bare soil. During the experiment, degraded surface area, weight [...] Read more.
A protein-based film (PBF), obtained from black soldier fly prepupae proteins, was assessed for its agronomic performance as mulch. PBF was investigated in a potting experiment and compared with Mater-Bi (MB), polyethylene (PE) and bare soil. During the experiment, degraded surface area, weight and thickness of the film, water evaporated from the pot, and the soil microbiological content (SMC) were recorded. In addition, films were buried to assess their biodegradability and impact on SMC. During the mulching process, the PBF showed a significant degradation. In terms of evaporated water, the PBF performed similarly to MB and worse than PE. Regarding SMC, film of any nature caused an increase in the Clostridia spp. and a decrease of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria and fungi contents. When buried, only PBF recorded a faster biodegradability, showing a reduction of surface area, thickness and weight. PBF and MB highlighted a significant increase in contents of Clostridia spp., mesophilic aerobic bacteria and fungi. Our results reported, for the first time, the valorization of black soldier fly (BSF) prepupae proteins as a biodegradable film for mulching purposes. However, further study is needed to reduce the PBF biodegradability and allow it to be used for the most important mulched crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perennial Living Mulch Systems)
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18 pages, 1564 KiB  
Article
Effects of Selected Soil Amendments and Mulch Type on Soil Properties and Productivity in Organic Vegetable Production
by Robert P. Larkin
Agronomy 2020, 10(6), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10060795 - 03 Jun 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4767
Abstract
The potential benefits of different types of soil amendments and mulch ground covers on soil chemical and biological properties, crop development and yield, and disease and pest issues in organic vegetable production, as represented by legume (green snap bean), cucurbit (green zucchini squash), [...] Read more.
The potential benefits of different types of soil amendments and mulch ground covers on soil chemical and biological properties, crop development and yield, and disease and pest issues in organic vegetable production, as represented by legume (green snap bean), cucurbit (green zucchini squash), and brassicaceous (turnip) vegetable crops, were evaluated in a two-year field trial in Maine, USA. Soil amendments evaluated (following an initial fertilizer base) included a commercial organic fertilizer alone, composted dairy manure, compost plus fish meal, and compost plus Wollastonite, a natural source of silicon (Si). A paper mulch was also compared with a woven polypropylene fabric mulch for their performance and effects as weed barriers within these systems. Mulch type significantly affected soil properties, with the fabric mulch associated with increases in soil moisture, organic matter, and other soil chemical and biological properties relative to the paper mulch. The fabric mulch also resulted in earlier emergence and earlier harvests for bean and zucchini. Soil amendments affected soil properties and crop growth and yield of bean and zucchini, with compost amendments increasing soil pH, organic matter, and several nutrient concentrations, as well as crop emergence and yield relative to a fertilizer-only treatment. Compost treatment also reduced the infestation and damage caused by mites on beans in 2018. Addition of fish meal increased most nutrient element concentrations and microbial respiration, and Si amendment increased emergence of beans, and reduced powdery mildew on squash and late season browning of beans. These results help define specific management practices to improve organic vegetable production and provide useful information and options for growers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perennial Living Mulch Systems)
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Review

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12 pages, 2996 KiB  
Review
Benchmarking the Agronomic Performance of Biodegradable Mulches against Polyethylene Mulch Film: A Meta-Analysis
by Mauro B. D. Tofanelli and Sam E. Wortman
Agronomy 2020, 10(10), 1618; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10101618 - 21 Oct 2020
Cited by 50 | Viewed by 4044
Abstract
Growers are interested in biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based polyethylene mulch film (PEM). However, many growers cite limited knowledge about biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) as a significant barrier to adoption. Agronomic field tests of BDMs are often limited temporally or spatially, and the variability [...] Read more.
Growers are interested in biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based polyethylene mulch film (PEM). However, many growers cite limited knowledge about biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) as a significant barrier to adoption. Agronomic field tests of BDMs are often limited temporally or spatially, and the variability of performance results relative to PEM may be contributing to this perceived knowledge gap. Our objective was to use data available in the scientific literature to provide the first quantitative performance benchmark of BDMs against PEM. We extracted data from 66 articles for meta-analysis. Response ratios were calculated for comparison of BDMs relative to black PEM, and differences among categorical groups were determined using 95% bootstrap confidence intervals. Overall, BDMs reduced soil temperature by 4.5% ± 0.8% (±one standard error) compared to PEM, and temperatures were coolest beneath paper-based BDM. Starch-polyester BDM was less effective than PEM for weed control, but paper-based BDM reduced weed density and biomass by 85.7% ± 9.2%. Paper-based BDMs were particularly useful for controlling Cyperus spp. weeds. Despite differences in soil temperature and weed suppression, crop yields were not different between BDMs and PEM. Future research should focus on reducing costs, adding functional value, and increasing the biodegradability of BDMs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perennial Living Mulch Systems)
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