The use of plastic mulch in agriculture had its beginning in the middle of last century and since then its use has been intensified and the costs of send this residue to appropriate final destination lead it often to be left or burned in open field, causing huge environmental concerns. The biodegradable mulch films, which can be incorporated in the soil at the end of the crop appear as a possible solution for this problem. The goal of this work was to test the biodegradability of 5 plastic mulches, made from biodegradable polymers, comparing to conventional Polyethylene (PE). The biodegradability was tested in laboratory by means of a respirometric test that followed the standard EN ISO 17 556, and in field conditions, by observation and calculation of the percentage of area lost, along the time, in net frames containing the various biodegradable plastics. The field trials to assess fruit productivity and quality were performed during two years. One of the biodegradable mulches stands out for its good performance and seems as a very promising mulch that may be a viable replacement for conventional polyethylene.

Mestrado em Engenharia do Ambiente - Instituto Superior de Agronomia