Feb 23, 2007

MSU Develops Biodegradable Alternative To Plastic Mulch FilmsSource: Michigan State University

Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) are working to create an alternative to the plastic mulch films used by growers in the vegetable, nursery and landscape industries to retain moisture, control weeds and protect plants in the winter. Plastic liners have a high disposal cost, and the study aims to find a more profitable and sustainable production practice.

The research began in 2005, when Mathieu Ngouajio and Tom Fernandez, both professors in the Department of Horticulture at MSU, teamed up with plastics chemists Rafael Auras and Maria Rubino from the MSU School of Packaging.

Researchers focused on designing plastic that could be broken down by soil microbes and successfully developed three biodegradable mulch films. The films were field tested with tomatoes last summer at the MSU Horticulture Teaching and Research Center.

Ngouajio admits that purchasing biodegradable mulch will be slightly more expensive for growers than buying conventional films, but at the end of the use cycle, it will be a more profitable alternative. Plastic mulch films are used on a variety of crops in Michigan, and the cost of disposal amounts to $49 per acre.

Project GREEEN, the state’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, is providing funding support for the research. To learn more about Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, visit www.greeen.msu.edu.