Issued by 2026 Magazine

Does Soil-biodegradable Plastic Mulch Incorporation Impact Soil Health?

Science

AUTHOR : Deirdre Griffin LaHue, Associate Professor, Soil Health and Sustainable Soil Management, Washington State University

Plasticulture and soil condition is a key topic in our publication. We would like to share with you the results of an American study on the impact of biodegradable mulch films, originally published in the American journal ‘Sustainable Mulch Management’. To date, the research team has not observed any impact of the use of these mulches on soil health indicators…we look forward to seeing the full project data!

Soil-biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs) generally provide similar benefits to polyethylene (PE) mulches regarding weed suppression, soil temperature and moisture control, and crop performance (Shcherbatyuk et al. 2025). However, a key difference between BDMs and PE is their post-season management: BDMs are tilled into the soil whereas PE mulch is removed. BDM tillage has understandably raised many questions about how incorporation of BDM fragments will impact soil health.

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