Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Plastic Mulch Films on Soil Nutrient, Yields and Soil Microbiome in Three Vegetable Fields

Xi Shan,Xiaoping Zeng,Fangwei Yu,Weiwei Mao,Wei Zhang,Jinjun Ma,Jianbin Li,Shenyun Wang,Zhongliang Dai

doi:10.3390/agronomy12020506

Abstract

Plastic film mulching is a common practice to increase vegetable yields. However, the effects of plastic mulch films on different vegetable fields remain largely unknown. In the current study, biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) and polyethylene mulch films (PEMs) were used to explore their effects on three vegetable fields (broccoli, chili pepper and garlic). Compared with bare soil, both BDMs and PEMs could effectively maintain higher exchangeable potassium contents in rhizosphere soil, and significantly increase various soil properties and microbial abundance both in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils. In terms of yields, the treatments of BDMs and PEMs effectively increased broccoli, chili pepper and garlic yields by 17.6–19.0%, 21.3–23.3% and 26.0–29.5%, respectively, when compared with the bare soil. Our initial characterization provided insights into the effects of BMDs and PEMs on soil properties, yields and diversity of rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere microbial communities in three vegetable fields.

Highlights

A common practice of improving fruit and vegetable production is agricultural plastic mulching, which can modify soil temperatures [1], conserve moisture [2], reduce weed pressure [3] and increase yields [4,5,6]
The biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) were developed as a sustainable alternative to Polyethylene mulch films (PEMs), which can be left for degradation in the soil without recycling, presumably solving the environmental pollution caused by PEMs [10]
BDMs are prepared from polymers, which are derived from fossil-sourced materials, plants or microbes [11]

Summary

Introduction

A common practice of improving fruit and vegetable production is agricultural plastic mulching, which can modify soil temperatures [1], conserve moisture [2], reduce weed pressure [3] and increase yields [4,5,6]. Polyethylene mulch films (PEMs) are usually used in agriculture because of the low price and high durability, but the main drawback of PEMs is that it is non-degradable, and which has caused plastic film pollution and affected the planting environment [7,8,9]. The biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) were developed as a sustainable alternative to PEMs, which can be left for degradation in the soil without recycling, presumably solving the environmental pollution caused by PEMs [10]. BDMs provide a surface barrier prior to soil incorporation, which indirectly affects soil temperature and moisture conservation. BDMs are tilled into soil, and the soil microorganisms can degrade the plastics [10]. BDMs are prepared from polymers, which are derived from fossil-sourced materials, plants or microbes [11]. Soil microorganisms may have the capacity to degrade the polymers used in BDMs and are converted to microbial biomass and respired [12,13]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion