• Tech Tech

Scientists make weed control breakthrough that could soon replace harmful product: 'Mass production is the main goal'

"Should field tests be successful, we expect to benefit organic vegetable farmers and other agricultural field practitioners."

"Should field tests be successful, we expect to benefit organic vegetable farmers and other agricultural field practitioners."

Photo Credit: iStock

Backyard gardeners and large-scale agriculture operations commonly use plastic mulch to control weed growth and protect planted seeds. But researchers in the Philippines have developed a novel solution to keep plastic mulch out of our gardens and crop rows: biodegradable paper mulch. 

It took researchers two years to develop the biodegradable mulch. They searched for a material that broke down easily in soils of various types and kept soil temperatures as constant as synthetic mulch does. 

What they hit on was a paper mulch made from local, biodegradable materials. It consists of 80% discarded corrugated cartons. The rest comes from the waste left over from stripping the leaves of the abaca, a large fibrous plant often called "manila hemp."

This is a much better option than plastic mulch. The synthetic stuff has many negative environmental impacts, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. When spread across crops, it dramatically increases the runoff from both rain and irrigation. If pesticides are used on the crops, poisons find their way into groundwater. 

According to a paper published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, plastic mulch leaves behind microplastics in the soil and contributes greatly to the gradual buildup of such plastics in farmland worldwide. Further, microplastics attract and accumulate toxins, heavy metals, and pathogens and reduce crop productivity, a potential threat to the world's food production. 

The biodegradable paper mulch, however, readily dissolves in soil. It helps boost the soil's nutrient profile while performing all the standard duties of mulch, namely keeping weeds and pests at bay and preserving soil moisture.

Right now, the biodegradable mulch is undergoing more field testing with the hope that it can be scaled up to meet the demands of the agriculture industry.

"Mass production is the main goal of this project, subject to the results of the field trials," Cesar Austria, the study's project leader, told the Philippine News Agency. "Should field tests be successful, we expect to benefit organic vegetable farmers and other agricultural field practitioners dependent on plastic mulch."

The Philippines Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute, which ran the study, has set up a demonstration farm at the JC Del Mundo Sustainable Farming School in Agoncillo, Batangas. There, they hope to iron out any kinks and prepare the material for wide-scale adoption. 

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"Paper mulch technology is one of the innovations that is set to address the increasing demand for sustainable materials and practices in agriculture in our country," said DOST's Renato Solidum Jr. "It will particularly help address the rising concerns about plastic pollution and soil degradation." 

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