Degradation in soil (WP2)
Biodegradable mulch film used in agriculture. Photo: Martin Haarr, Agri Råd
Biodegradable mulch film is used in agriculture to increase soil temperature, maintain soil humidity and limit weed growth. Contrary to conventional (non biodegradable) mulch film, biodegradable mulch film does not need to be removed from the field after use, and can simply be ploughed into the soil. But how fast does it degrade in soil in cold climatic regions like Norway?
Before this project, the fate of biodegradable plastic mulch in soil was unknown under Nordic conditions.
In this work package, we have investigated the in situ degradation in soil of the two types of biodegradable mulch films most used in Norway, under various climatic conditions, soil types, soil depths and agricultural practices.
The field study involved the burial in soil of 300 mesh bags containing biodegradable mulch in 6 farms in Norway (Rogaland, Agder, Viken) and their follow-up/retrieval over up to 2 years. The role played by NIBIO, Norsk Landbruksrådgiving (NLR) and Agri Råd was crucial to the success of this long-term field study.
We have demonstrated that degradation occurs, albeit at a slower pace, with worse-case scenarios for complete degradation in Norwegian soils lying between 2.5 and 9 years, depending on climatic conditions, soil properties and agricultural practices. Beside higher soil temperature, higher soil organic matter content has been shown to accelerate degradation.
Here is the scientific article summarizing our experiment: In situ degradation of biodegradable plastic mulch in Nordic agricultural soils
Here is a short video (in Norwegian, 14 min) where the results from our field study in soil are presented.
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Conference lecture – Plast og mikroplast i jord: hvilke utfordringer står vi overfor?
Claire Coutris
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Claire CoutrisAbstract
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