Abstract
Degradability of biodegradable plastic films and its mulching effects on soil temperature and maize yield in northeastern China
Highlights
Northeast China is the most important maize-producing area in China
This study shows that biodegradable plastic film can be used as a substitute for common plastic film
At the end of the growth period, the maximum degradation rate increased by 17.4% in 2018 compared with that in 2017
Summary
Northeast China is the most important maize-producing area in China. The maize planting area and yield in Northeast China account for 31% and 34% of the entire country’s maize planting area and yield, respectively[1]. Chilling damage and frost in spring in some parts of Northeast China[2], plus the lack of precipitation or an uneven distribution of precipitation during the year in most parts of the region, cause a reduction in maize yield. It takes hundreds of years to be completely degraded[9] Such large-scale use, coupled with recycling difficulties, leads to a massive amount of residual film remaining in the field, which pollutes the landscape and causes soil hardening that affects crop root growth and results in a yield reduction[10]. There are mainly two ways to solve this problem: one is to increase the amount of recycled plastic film; the other is to develop and popularize degradable plastic film[12]. Developing degradable plastic film as a substitute for common plastic film is an important means to reduce pollution from common plastic film[13]
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