Search Results (8)

This study deals with the incorporation of biostimulants of natural origin in a biodegradable polymeric matrix, with the aim of developing mulch films that, when degraded in the soil, release bioactive compounds that improve soil quality and favor the agronomic growth of crops. Three types of commercial biostimulants were used: one based on seaweed extract, one on lignosulfonates, and one on plant-derived essential amino acids. To ensure the thermal stability of the biostimulant compounds during processing, thermogravimetric analyses (TGAs) were carried out, and a methodology based on the adsorption of the biostimulants onto porous substrates was developed, enabling their effective incorporation into the polymeric matrix. The formulations obtained have been processed by blown film extrusion at a pilot scale. In addition, the presence of film residues in soil was analyzed by pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The results indicate that the proposed methodology supports the integrity of the biostimulants in the films obtained. After the incubation period studied, complete degradation of the biopolymer and the absence of film residues in the soil were confirmed. Furthermore, it was confirmed that this final product had no adverse effects on organisms that were representative of the two end-of-life scenarios, with the exception of the film functionalized with the commercial biostimulant based on seaweed extract, which showed a negative effect on terrestrial higher plants. Full article

Plastic products are used in agriculture to increase crop yield and improve crop quality to face a double challenge: a growing world population and a depletion and scarcity of natural resources. In this framework, the European Commission is working on establishing biodegradation criteria under natural conditions for certain plastic products. Such criteria are particularly important for products where biodegradation is key once reaching the end of their shelf life, considering an end-of-life scenario where their waste management is either unfeasible or highly complex. Under this scope, this work aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current status of European regulations in terms of plasticulture product biodegradability, highlighting the specific tests and standards regarding the biodegradability assessment. Biodegradation of plasticulture products in soil and water has been considered for biodegradability criteria, establishing a threshold of at least 90% of the organic carbon converted into CO₂. These regulations have followed a tool-based study of a mathematical prediction model for the main existing families of biodegradable polymers in soil. These regulations will help the fertilizer industry to develop new formulations that are more sustainable and effective in the agriculture field. Full article

In plasticulture production systems, the conventional practice involves broadcasting pre-emergent herbicides over the entire surface of raised beds before laying plastic mulch. However, weed emergence predominantly occurs through the transplant punch-holes in the mulch, leaving most of the applied herbicide beneath the plastic, where weeds cannot grow. To address this issue, we developed and evaluated a precision spraying system designed to target herbicide application to the transplant punch-holes. A dataset of 3378 images was manually collected and annotated during a tomato experimental trial at the University of Florida. A YOLOv8x model with a p2 output layer was trained, converted to TensorRT^® to improve the inference time, and deployed on a custom-built computer. A Python-based graphical user interface (GUI) was developed to facilitate user interaction and the control of the smart sprayer system. The sprayer utilized a global shutter camera to capture real-time video input for the YOLOv8x model, which activates or disactivates a TeeJet solenoid for precise herbicide application upon detecting a punch-hole. The model demonstrated excellent performance, achieving precision, recall, mean average precision (mAP), and F1score exceeding 0.90. Field tests showed that the smart sprayer reduced herbicide use by up to 69% compared to conventional broadcast methods. The system achieved an 86% punch-hole recognition rate, with a 14% miss rate due to challenges such as plant occlusion and variable lighting conditions, indicating that the dataset needs to be improved. Despite these limitations, the smart sprayer effectively minimized off-target herbicide application without causing crop damage. This precision approach reduces chemical inputs and minimizes the potential environmental impact, representing a significant advancement in sustainable plasticulture weed management. Full article

Plasticulture is a technique widely affirmed throughout Europe and the rest of the world that employs plastic material for protecting agricultural cultivations, e.g., soil mulching, low/middle tunnel covering, and greenhouse farming. Because of their effects on the sustainability of agricultural production, these materials present serious environmental drawbacks. Even if plastic recycling is a consolidated technical solution, several obstacles hinder the mechanical recycling of film used in plasticulture. Mostly, the degradation of its mechanical characteristics, due to aging and simultaneous contamination with agrochemicals used for fighting plant disease and ensuring crop health, plays a major hampering role. In the present paper, the results of laboratory tests on agricultural PE-LD plastic film for greenhouse covering, artificially aged for different lengths of time and treated with two different agrochemicals (fungicide and anti-aphid), are presented. The contamination with agrochemicals resulted in a considerable reduction in mechanical properties throughout the usage phase even if in samples that underwent twofold spraying, slower degradative kinetics were observed. In conclusion, based also on the measured changes in the Carbonyl Index value, it is doubtful that this plastic film would be included in a mechanical recycling process. Full article

The use of plastics in agriculture has become so omnipresent that it has acquired its own lexicon, and it is now known as “plasticulture”. However, since compared to other industries, plastic consumption in agriculture is low, little attention has been paid to this material and its eventual disposal. This disregard is evident within both local and international statistics and policies, despite the close connection its disposal bears to soil health, making correct disposal a prerequisite for improving the health and sustainability of food production processes. Using Malta as a case study, this research utilizes quantitative and qualitative tools to identify and quantify the most common types of agricultural plastic waste generated and to determine the attitudes of farmers towards the establishment of a collection and recycling scheme. While the results indicate that for 38% of respondents, the incineration and plowing of plastic waste are regular practices, they also ascertain the willingness of farmers to acquire additional knowledge about more appropriate methods to dispose of this waste stream, thus guiding policy makers towards the need to initiate educational measures for farmers to prevent these harmful practices. The stakeholder interviews highlight that the present lack of data is a major obstacle, preventing policy from taking this waste stream into account. Full article

Plastic pollution, largely perceived by the public as a major risk factor that strongly impacts sea life and preservation, has an even higher negative impact on terrestrial ecosystems. Indeed, quantitative data about plastic contamination on agricultural soils are progressively emerging in alarming ways. One of the main contributors to this pollution involves the mismanagement of agricultural plastic waste (APW), i.e., the residues from plastic material used to improve the productivity of agricultural crops, such as greenhouse covers, mulching films, irrigation pipes, etc. Wrong management of agricultural plastics during and after their working lives may pollute the agricultural soil and aquifers by releasing macro-, micro-, and nanoplastics, which could also enter into the human food chain. In this study, we aimed to develop a methodology for the spatial quantification of agricultural plastics to achieve sustainable post-consumer management. Through an inductive approach, based on statistical data from the agricultural census of the administrative areas of the Italian provinces, an agricultural plastic coefficient (APC) was proposed, implemented, and spatialized in a GIS environment, to produce a database of APW for each type of crop. The proposed methodology can be exported to other countries. It represents valuable support that could realize, in integration with other tools, an atlas of agricultural plastics, which may be a starting point to plan strategies and actions targeted to the reduction of the plastic footprint of agriculture. Full article

Protected cultivation in modern agriculture relies extensively on plastic-originated mulch films, nets, packaging, piping, silage, and various applications. Polyolefins synthesized from petrochemical routes are vastly consumed in plasticulture, wherein PP and PE are the dominant commodity plastics. Imposing substantial impacts on our geosphere and humankind, plastics in soil threaten food security, health, and the environment. Mismanaged plastics are not biodegradable under natural conditions and generate problematic emerging pollutants such as nano-micro plastics. Post-consumed petrochemical plastics from agriculture face many challenges in recycling and reusing due to soil contamination in fulfilling the zero waste hierarchy. Hence, biodegradable polymers from renewable sources for agricultural applications are pragmatic as mitigation. Starch is one of the most abundant biodegradable biopolymers from renewable sources; it also contains tunable thermoplastic properties suitable for diverse applications in agriculture. Functional performances of starch such as physicomechanical, barrier, and surface chemistry may be altered for extended agricultural applications. Furthermore, starch can be a multidimensional additive for plasticulture that can function as a filler, a metaphase component in blends/composites, a plasticizer, an efficient carrier for active delivery of biocides, etc. A substantial fraction of food and agricultural wastes and surpluses of starch sources are underutilized, without harnessing useful resources for agriscience. Hence, this review proposes reliable solutions from starch toward timely implementation of sustainable practices, circular economy, waste remediation, and green chemistry for plasticulture in agriscience Full article

As urban populations increase, there is growing interest in developing innovative technologies, sustainable urban farming practices, policy measures, and other strategies to address key barriers in urban agriculture that impede improved food security and sustained urban livelihoods. We surveyed forty urban farmers and gardeners (growers) in Louisville, Kentucky, for base-level information to assess their agricultural practices and the various factors or key barriers that could influence such practices. Secondary objectives were identifying areas where practices could be improved, and identifying opportunities for research, outreach, and incentives for urban growers to transition to more sustainable and higher-yielding practices. The majority of these urban growers were white females, were more diverse than Kentucky farmers, and attained a higher degree of education than Kentucky residents as a whole. Most were engaged in urban agriculture for non-commercial reasons, and 11% were full-time urban growers operating farms for profit. Smaller farms were less likely to be operated for profit or have farm certifications than medium-sized or larger farms (Chi-squared = 14.459, p = 0.042). We found no significant differences among farm sizes in terms of whether growers rented or owned the land they were on (Chi-squared = 9.094, p = 0.168). The most common sustainable practices recorded were composting (60%), crop rotation (54%), polyculture (54%), organic farming (49%), and low or no-till (46%). The least common practices were alley cropping (5%), plasticulture (3%), and hydroponics (3%). Small farms were less likely to use crop rotation than medium-sized or large farms (Chi-squared = 13.548, p = 0.003), and farms responding to the survey in the latter part of the data collection were less likely to use compost than expected based on responses from the early part of data collection (Chi-shared = 5.972, p = 0.014). Challenges faced by these growers included limited space, accessibility to farm certification, presence of pests and diseases, and lack of record keeping and soil testing for fertility and contamination. Our study documents the need for more farm certification, education, outreach, training, research, investment, innovative ideas and solutions, collaboration among stakeholders, and better access to land through favorable urban policies and local support. Full article