Study on Mechanization of Mulching Cultivation using Biodegradable Film for Early Season Culture Rice (Part 1)

Utilization of Biodegradable Film for Keeping the Environment Clean

Abstract

This paper describes the investigation on the physical properties, heat absorption and preservation, weekly variations of biodegradability, and effects on rice morphology and yield to study the mulching cultivation system for early season culture rice by using biodegradable film (referred to as BF) for keeping the environment clean.
BF had weaker transversal tensile force and tear resistance than polyethylene film (referred to as PF). Heat retention and reflectance of BF were 0.3-0.8°C less and 2-5% more than that of PF, respectively. However, the effect of BF mulching on hastening the growth of rice was similar to that of PF. On the other hand, biodegradation was slow during the important growing stage of rice and accelerated after three months. Therefore, as mulching material for early season culture rice, the effective use of BF was confirmed.