Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIV
1601 EAST MARKET STREET
GREENSBORO,NC 27411
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Plastic mulch has been a common practice for commercial field and high tunnel vegetable production In combination with drip irrigation, plastic mulch helps maintain soil moisture that saves water, increases soil temperature so plants mature early, controls weeds thus reducing herbicide use, and improves produce quality and increases yield resulting in more profits. The wide use of plastic mulch, however, is associated with significant environmental concerns and is often not considered environmentally sustainable. Polyethylene (PE) mulch degrades poorly in nature and its recycling has been limited. The mulch often ends up in incineration, on-farm burning and landfills, as the number of recycling facilities that accept PE mulch is very limited due to the contamination of mulch with soil, pesticide residues and vegetation. Since the 1950s, an estimated 79% of plastic mulch has accumulated in landfills and the natural environment. Additionally, at the end of the production season, plastic mulch removal can be difficult leaving plasticpollution in the soil that would negatively affect soil productivity and the environment.Biodegradableplasticmulchwas introduced in the 1990s as an alternative to PEmulch. It performs similarly to PEmulch but can be tilled into the field at the end of the season without compromising soil quality and saves on labor expenses associated with mulch removal and disposal. Because of this, organic and sustainable growers are particularly interested in the opportunity to use them. One thing worth noticing, however, is that biodegradation ofdegradable mulchvaries with climate (temperature, moisture and solar radiation) and soil type. The rate and amount of biodegradation depend to a great extent on the product formulation and the climate/soil. Given the distinct geographical and climatic regions of North Carolina, our project will focus on on-farm trials of the degradable mulches, and later to promote this new technology using biodegradable mulches in commercial vegetable production in high tunnels and open field.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this project is to equip farmers and Extension agents with the latest sustainable practices on biodegradable mulch (BDM) that ultimately would help small, limited-resource farmers become more profitable and sustainable, and build and strengthen A&T's Extension capacity in plasticulture. The specific objectives are:Conduct on-farm trials on BDMs in field vegetable production.Conduct applied research and demonstration of BDMs in high tunnels.Develop a plasticulture curriculum on BDMs and offer train-the-trainer workshops to Extension agents.Disseminate biodegradable plasticulture technology to small, limited-resource farmers through field demonstrations, field days, conferences and the resulting BDM field guide and videos.
Project Methods
Objective 1. Conduct on-farm trials on biodegradable mulches in field vegetable production.Six commercially available BDMs (Bio360, Landmaster, Planters Paper, WeedGuardPlus, Organix AG, BioTelo) that had been tested by the USDA-funded projects, along with Black Embossed PE 1.0 mil and bare ground (controls) which will make a total of eight treatments, will be tested in the Mountains (Madison County, hardiness zone 6), Piedmont (Guilford County where N. C. A&T is located, zone 7), and Costal Plains (Currituck County, zone 8), as shown in Figure 5. We will use 'Big Beef Plus' and 'Abigail' tomato cultivars, which will be transplanted 10-15 days after the last freeze in each region. Both cultivars carry great disease resistance and especially 'Abigail', which is also resistant to late blight, to guarantee a good coverage to raised beds. We will raise transplants in the greenhouse and use 30-inch wide, 96-foot long raised beds allowing for 64 plants (32 for each cultivar) on each bed. There will be one plant row on each bed with a spacing of 18 inches. The row spacing will be 2 or 3 feet depending on the mowing equipment available in each location. Trials on N. C. A&T Research Farm will be replicated three times using a randomized complete block design (RCBD), while trials in Madison and Currituck counties will not be replicated. Plants will be terminated and removed about a month before the first fall frost in the region. Projects will carry on in years one and two.Soil fertility management will be based on the soil test results and recommendations from NCDA&CS (NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) soil lab. Plant management will follow the 2022 Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook (https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/southeastern-us-vegetable-crop-handbook). Plants will be trellised using the Florida-Weave System and trained to one leader.Data to be collected include plant growth (canopy height and width), yield (harvest twice a week) and fruit quality (with an ATAGO Pocket Brix-Acidity Meter at the first harvest, peak harvest and last harvest); monthly mulch deterioration; and weed control (percent weed cover). We will also measure soil temperatures at the 3-inch depth in the middle of each bed with soil temperature sensors connected to WatchDog 1650 Data Loggers from Spectrum® Technology, Inc. The system will be set to take readings every 30 minutes. Plant data collected will be pre-analyzed with MS Excel and then statistically analyzed with the generalized linear mixed model procedure (Proc Mixed) of SAS® 9.3. Temperature data will be analyzed with SpecWare Professional for high/low daily temperatures, daily mean temperatures and growing degree days, and then statistically analyzed with Proc Mixed of SAS.Objective 2. Conduct applied research and demonstration of biodegradable mulches in high tunnels.The approach for Objective 2 will be similar to that in Objective 1, but the trials will be done in 30' (W) x 96' (L) high tunnels instead, with one high tunnel in Madison and Currituck Counties and three high tunnels on A&T Farm. Cultivars to be used will be "Big Beef Plus" and "Rebelski" (disease-resistant cultivars for high tunnel production). The beds will be slightly narrower and shorter, about 24" wide to accommodate eight beds in the high tunnel and 90' long to leave room to end walls. Transplanting time will be three weeks earlier than that for Objective 1.For both Objectives 1&2, we may include new mulch materials if they become commercially available. The size of trials will be adjusted accordingly.Objective 3. Develop a biodegradable plasticulture curriculum and offer train-the-trainer workshops to extension agents.In year 1, we will start to draft the curriculum using results, research and Extension publications from SCRI and SARE PDP projects on BDM completed by Washington State University and University of Tennessee. In year 2, we will incorporate our own results and finalize the curriculum. In the first half of year 3, we will have the curriculum edited, reviewed and designed. The proposed curriculum will include an introduction to plasticulture (concept, benefits and components), an introduction to BDM (history, types, benefits, challenges), practical applications in field crops (laying mulch, irrigation and fertigation strategies, mulch incorporation into soil), practical application in high tunnels, and case studies with tomatoes. The curriculum will break into six 45-minute sessions. Each session will have PPTs and a trainer's manual and will be video/audio recorded. The 6-hour train-the-trainer activity will be held during the Small Farms Week when agents come to campus (another option will be held at A&T's Fall Faculty and Staff Institute in mid-August in year 2 when all county Extension agents will come to campus for three days for centralized training). We will also offer the training at the North Carolina State Extension Conference, which usually takes place in late November. Additionally, we will present the applied project results at the annual Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) in February and the annual ASHS conference in August in years two and three.Objective 4. Disseminate biodegradable plasticulture technology to small, limited-resource farmers through field days, small farms week, conferences, and the resulting biodegradable mulch field guide and videos.At each location, we will conduct two field days (2-3 hours long) in mid-season (July) and end of the season (September) each year, showcasing the biodegradable trials to interested small, limited-resource farmers. The results from the USDA-funded projects (Dr. Carol Miles from Washington State University will be the invited speaker) will be introduced at the 2024 Small Farms Week (the last full week in March). Results from our own trials will be presented at the Small Farms Week of 2025 and 2026, and the local Extension events in the Mountains and Coastal Plains. We will draft and publish a BDM field guide to be used by farmers and agents. The guide will be 12-16 pages, a short version of the curriculum in layman's terms. As a companion to the field guide, short YouTube videos (five minutes each) will be created and published on the NC A&T Extension YouTube and Facebook channels. We will also present topics on BDM at growers' conferences, such as the Sustainable Agriculture Conference organized by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association in November 2025 in Durham and the Winter Vegetable Conference in February 2025 and 2026 in Ashville. CAES Agricultural Communication will help create flyers and publicize and market all events through e-mail, website and social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.). County Extension agents will also promote all the events in their service area. All resultant Extension publications will be posted online, accessible and downloadable by everybody interested and free of charge.