ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Effect of Direct Covering with Biodegradable
Nonwoven Film on the Physical and Chemical
Properties of Soil
Iwona Domagała-Świątkiewicz1, Piotr Siwek2
More details
Hide details
1Department of Soil Cultivation and Fertilization of Horticultural Plants,
2Department of Vegetables and Herb Plants,
Agricultural University of Krakow, Al. 29 Listopada 54, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2013;22(3):667-674
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
It is well known that plastic mulch film increases the yield of many vegetables, in particular the early
season yield, most likely by increasing soil temperature and moisture, and inhibiting weed growth. Soil surface
covering decreases erosion, reduces evaporation, protects against raindrop impact, and increases aggregate
stability. The following field experiment was carried out at the experimental farm in Mydlniki in Krakow,
Poland in 2008/09 and 2009/10. Winter leek and onion covered by biodegradable nonwoven (Bionnole 100
g·m-2 and IBWCH 75 g·m-2) film were assessed to estimate the changes in several physical and chemical soil
properties. The experiment revealed the interaction between treatments and wet-aggregate content in soil. The
biofilm covering slightly increased the amount of large aggregates (4.0-2.5 mm) and decreased the percentage
of small sized macroaggregates (0.50-0.25 mm). We also observed a trend in the increase of water capacity in
soils following treatments. The obtained results suggest that the use of biodegradable film as covering could
be an alternative to the traditional plastic films widely used in the world.