Abstract
The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of a paper film mulch fabricated from recycled waste products as an alternative to plastic film mulch for vegetable crops. Experiments were conducted to determine whether treatment with vegetable oil and/or elemental sulfur would retard the breakdown of mulch paper in contact with soil. Both unused and waste cooking oil significantly delayed paper decomposition and loss of tensile strength in laboratory and greenhouse tests, and sulfur further retarded breakdown. Oil treatment increased light transmission of kraft paper. In field experiments, soil temperatures were significantly higher under oiled paper than in bare soil or unoiled paper, whereas this was not true for black polyethylene (PE) mulch. However, increased light penetration also allowed weed growth beneath the oiled paper, which exerted pressure against the film, causing it to tear at about the same time that unoiled paper failed due to decay at the soil line. Sulfur also did not increase mulch longevity under field conditions. Tomatoes [Lycopersicon esculenrum (L.) Mill.] grown in a commercially available black paper mulch showed similar yields and earliness to tomatoes grown in black PE mulch, even though Ule latter resulted in slightly higher soil temperatures. The black paper mulch is considerably more expensive than black PE, but recycled kraft paper can be obtained in large rolls at lower per-hectare cost than plastic film mulches.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Unused and waste cooking oil significantly delayed paper mulch decomposition and loss of tensile strength in laboratory and greenhouse tests.
- Treatment
- unused and waste cooking oile1
- Outcome
- paper decomposition and loss of tensile strengthe1
- Direction
- delayede1
- Setting
- laboratory and greenhouse testse1
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleComparatorValueQualifier
Verbatim
e1“Both unused and waste cooking oil significantly delayed paper decomposition and loss of tensile strength in laboratory and greenhouse tests, and sulfur further retarded breakdown”
Claim · model-written summary
Sulfur further retarded paper mulch breakdown relative to oil-treated paper.
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleSettingValueQualifier
Verbatim
e1“Both unused and waste cooking oil significantly delayed paper decomposition and loss of tensile strength in laboratory and greenhouse tests, and sulfur further retarded breakdown”
Claim · model-written summary
Oil treatment increased light transmission of kraft paper.
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleComparatorSettingValueQualifier
Verbatim
e2“Oil treatment increased light transmission of kraft paper”
Claim · model-written summary
In field experiments, soil under oiled paper was significantly warmer than under bare soil or unoiled paper.
- Treatment
- oiled papere3
- Outcome
- soil temperaturese3
- Direction
- highere3
- Comparator
- bare soil or unoiled papere3
- Setting
- In field experimentse3
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleValueQualifier
Verbatim
e3“In field experiments, soil temperatures were significantly higher under oiled paper than in bare soil or unoiled paper, whereas this was not true for black polyethylene (PE) mulch”
Claim · model-written summary
In field experiments, black polyethylene mulch did not raise soil temperature compared with bare soil.
- Treatment
- black polyethylene (PE) mulche3
- Outcome
- soil temperaturese3
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede3
- Comparator
- bare soile3
- Setting
- In field experimentse3
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleValueQualifier
Verbatim
e3“In field experiments, soil temperatures were significantly higher under oiled paper than in bare soil or unoiled paper, whereas this was not true for black polyethylene (PE) mulch”
Claim · model-written summary
Weed growth beneath oiled paper pressed the film and caused it to tear in vegetable crop trials.
Not reportedMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageSecond interactorSecond interactor roleTreatmentComparatorSettingDirectionValueQualifier
Verbatim
e0“alternative to plastic film mulch for vegetable crops”
e4“increased light penetration also allowed weed growth beneath the oiled paper, which exerted pressure against the film, causing it to tear at about the same time that unoiled paper failed due to decay at the soil line”
Claim · model-written summary
Sulfur did not increase mulch longevity under field conditions.
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleComparatorValueQualifier
Verbatim
e5“Sulfur also did not increase mulch longevity under field conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
Tomatoes grown in black paper mulch had yields and earliness similar to those grown in black PE mulch.
- Taxon
- Tomatoes
Solanum lycopersicume6 - Treatment
- black paper mulche6
- Outcome
- yields and earlinesse6
- Direction
- similare6
- Comparator
- black PE mulche6
Not reportedMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleSettingValueQualifier
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“Tomatoes [Lycopersicon esculenrum (L.) Mill.] grown in a commercially available black paper mulch showed similar yields and earliness to tomatoes grown in black PE mulch, even though Ule latter resulted in slightly higher soil temperatures”
Claim · model-written summary
Black PE mulch gave slightly higher soil temperatures than black paper mulch.
- Treatment
- black PE mulche6
- Outcome
- soil temperaturese6
- Direction
- highere6
- Qualifier
- slightlye6
- Comparator
- black paper mulche6
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleSettingValue
Verbatim
e6“Tomatoes [Lycopersicon esculenrum (L.) Mill.] grown in a commercially available black paper mulch showed similar yields and earliness to tomatoes grown in black PE mulch, even though Ule latter resulted in slightly higher soil temperatures”
Claim · model-written summary
Recycled kraft paper mulch has lower per-hectare cost than plastic film mulches.
- Treatment
- recycled kraft papere1
- Outcome
- per-hectare coste1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Comparator
- plastic film mulchese1
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleSettingValueQualifier
Verbatim
e1“recycled kraft paper can be obtained in large rolls at lower per-hectare cost than plastic film mulches”
Claim · model-written summary
Black paper mulch is considerably more expensive than black PE mulch.
- Treatment
- black paper mulche7
- Outcome
- expensivee7
- Direction
- more expensivee7
- Qualifier
- considerablye7
- Comparator
- black PEe7
Not reportedTaxonMaterialGeneCompoundOrgan / stageInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleSettingValue
Verbatim
e7“The black paper mulch is considerably more expensive than black PE”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
25 papers in the same direction as this paper · 184 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- no effect
206 papers more in this group
See all 210 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.