Abstract
Numerous research showed that mulching with conventional agro foils elevates soil temperature and promotes plant growth, but negatively influences soil health and brings environmental concerns. Most of the published research on nonwoven mulches for plant cultivation includes nonwoven fabrics produced by extrusion processes providing nonwoven fabric structures similar to films. A limited number of studies investigate the impact of nonwoven mulches produced by a mechanical process on the cards and bonded by needling on plant cultivation. For this study, nonwoven mulches of mass per unit area of 400 g m−2 made from jute, hemp, viscose (CV), and polylactide (PLA) fibers were produced on the card bonded by needle punching. The field experiment was conducted two consecutive years in a row, in spring 2022 and 2023, by planting lettuce seedlings. The nonwoven mulches maintain lower temperatures and higher soil moisture levels compared to agro foil and the control field. The fibrous structure and their water absorption properties allow natural ventilation, regulating temperatures and retaining moisture of soil, consequently improving soil quality, lettuce yield, and quality. The fiber type from which the mulches were produced, influenced soil temperature and humidity, soil quality, and lettuce cultivation. The nonwoven mulches were successful in weed control concerning the weediness of the control field. Based on the obtained results, the newly produced mulches are likely to yield better results when used for the cultivation of vegetables with longer growing periods. Newly produced biodegradable nonwoven mulches could be an eco-friendly alternative to traditional agro foil, minimizing environmental harm during decomposition. The obtained results suggest that the newly produced mulches would be even more suitable for growing vegetables with longer growing seasons.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Nonwoven mulches maintained lower soil temperatures than agro foil and the control field.
- Treatment
- nonwoven mulchese0
- Outcome
- temperaturese0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- agro foil and the control fielde0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The nonwoven mulches maintain lower temperatures and higher soil moisture levels compared to agro foil and the control field.”
Claim · model-written summary
Nonwoven mulches maintained higher soil moisture than agro foil and the control field.
- Treatment
- nonwoven mulchese0
- Outcome
- soil moisture levelse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- agro foil and the control fielde0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The nonwoven mulches maintain lower temperatures and higher soil moisture levels compared to agro foil and the control field.”
Claim · model-written summary
Fibrous mulch structure and water absorption allowed natural ventilation, temperature regulation and soil moisture retention.
- Outcome
- natural ventilation, regulating temperatures and retaining moisture of soile0
- Qualifier
- fibrous structure and their water absorption propertiese0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The fibrous structure and their water absorption properties allow natural ventilation, regulating temperatures and retaining moisture of soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch structure and water absorption consequently improved soil quality.
- Outcome
- soil qualitye0
- Direction
- improvinge0
- Qualifier
- fibrous structure and their water absorption propertiese0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The fibrous structure and their water absorption properties allow natural ventilation, regulating temperatures and retaining moisture of soil, consequently improving soil quality, lettuce yield, and quality.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch structure and water absorption consequently improved lettuce yield and quality.
- Taxon
- lettuce
Lactuca sativae0 - Outcome
- lettuce yield, and qualitye0
- Direction
- improvinge0
- Qualifier
- fibrous structure and their water absorption propertiese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The fibrous structure and their water absorption properties allow natural ventilation, regulating temperatures and retaining moisture of soil, consequently improving soil quality, lettuce yield, and quality.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch fiber type influenced soil temperature, humidity and soil quality.
Not reportedTaxonComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“The fiber type from which the mulches were produced, influenced soil temperature and humidity, soil quality, and lettuce cultivation.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch fiber type influenced lettuce cultivation.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativae0
- Treatment
- fiber typee0
- Outcome
- lettuce cultivatione0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The fiber type from which the mulches were produced, influenced soil temperature and humidity, soil quality, and lettuce cultivation.”
Claim · model-written summary
Nonwoven mulches successfully controlled weeds relative to the control field.
- Taxon
- LettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- nonwoven mulchese0
- Interactor
- weede0weed
- Outcome
- weed controle0
- Comparator
- control fielde0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The nonwoven mulches were successful in weed control concerning the weediness of the control field.”
t0“Lettuce”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest these mulches would be more suitable for vegetables with longer growing seasons.
Verbatim
e0“The obtained results suggest that the newly produced mulches would be even more suitable for growing vegetables with longer growing seasons.”
Claim · model-written summary
Biodegradable nonwoven mulches could provide an eco-friendly alternative to agro foil, minimizing decomposition-related environmental harm.
- Outcome
- biodegradable nonwoven mulchese0
- Qualifier
- minimizing environmental harm during decompositione0
- Comparator
- traditional agro foile0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Newly produced biodegradable nonwoven mulches could be an eco-friendly alternative to traditional agro foil, minimizing environmental harm during decomposition.”
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mulching · soil: physics · Lactuca sativa (garden lettuce)Positive and negative results
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See all 6 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.