Author: Dr. He Wenqing

The benefits and challenge of plastic film mulching in China

LI Zhen,
SUN Dongbao,
LIU Enke,
YAN Changrong,
Liu Qin,
Dr. He Wenqing
Abstract : Plastic film mulching has played an important role in Chinese agriculture owing to its effects on soil warming, moisture conservation and weed control. It has increased grain and cash crop yields by 20%–35% and 20%–60%, respectively. In 2014 plastic film covered 18.14 Mha and the amount of plastic film used reached 1.41 Mt. Despite the benefits of plastic film mulch technology, widespread use has generated large amounts of mulching plastic waste. This has …

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Plastic-film mulch in Chinese agriculture: Importance and problems

Liu Shuang,
Liu Qin,
Dr. Liu Enke,
Professor Neil C. Turner,
Dr. He Wenqing,
Professor Yan Changrong
Summary Plastic-film mulch is widely used to increase the productivity of crops, vegetables and fruit trees in cold and arid or semiarid regions of China. Use increased from 6000 t, covering 0.12 million ha, in 1982, to 1.2 million t, covering almost 20 million ha, in 2011. The thin (4-8 µm) polyethylene film used in China is slow to degrade, easily damaged, difficult to reuse for a second season and difficult to remove. Residual plastic in the top 0.3 m soil layer is now estimated …

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