Aliphatic aromatic copolyester films, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) or PBAT, are susceptible to photodegradation, leading to main chain scission and crosslinking. The presence of crosslinked structures not only decreased the mechanical properties of the film due to embrittlement, but also hindered the biodegradation process by limiting access of water and microorganisms to the polymer...

Habitat manipulation in agroecosystems can influence predator–prey interactions. In this study, we collected foliar predators from field potato plots with different mulch treatments and assayed them for DNA of the target prey, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), using species-specific primers. Concurrently, L. decemlineata larval abundance and plant damage were recorded from the same plots. Predat...

To compare the soil water balance, yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of spring maize under different mulching types in the Loess Plateau, a 7-year field experiment was conducted in the Changwu region of the Loess Plateau. Three treatments were used in this experiment: straw mulch (SM), plastic film mulch (PM) and conventional covering without mulch (CK). Results show that the soil water chan...

The technology of freezing saline water irrigation (FSWI) with plastic mulching has been regarded as an effective way to reclaim the highly saline soil in coastal plains, which enabled the growth of crops in heavy saline soil that was not suitable for any crop growth before. However, after long-term treatment with FSWI, the microenvironment of the soil has been found to be affected by the growt...

Four studies were conducted in Georgia during spring 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 to evaluate various management tactics for reducing thrips and thrips-vectored tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in tomato and their interactions relative to fruit yield. Populations of thrips vectors of TSWV, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) and Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), were determined using flower and stic...

Urban stormwater runoff contains a broad range of pollutants that are transported to natural water systems. A practice known as biological retention (bioretention) has been suggested to manage stormwater runoff from small, developed areas. Bioretention facilities consist of porous soil, a topping layer of hardwood mulch, and a variety of different plant species. A detailed study of the characte...

mulches bring several benefits to lettuce cultivation.a study on the lettuce ‘red rapids’ has been conducted to determine the influence of the different colored plastic mulch on its growth. the experiment consisted of five color treatments as follows; treatment 1- metallic silver (control), treatment 2- red, treatment 3- orange, treatment 4- yellow and treatment 5-green. results showed that the...

Five selected insecticides were applied to four substrates and evaluated in laboratory studies for repellency and toxicity against the Pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis (L.). We tested both repellent and nonrepellent formulations on outdoor (concrete and mulch) and indoor (ceramic and vinyl) substrates. Repellency was evaluated using a behavioral bioassay in which colonies were given a choice t...

Background: Present study, aimed to assess effect of organic and inorganic crop mulching on physical, physiological biochemical quality fresh cowpea beans.Methods: Cowpea (cv. Kashi Kanchan bush-type) was grown during two consecutive seasons from April 2018 July 2019 under four different treatments. Mulching treatments included no mulch; wheat straw mulch (organic mulch); black silver mulch. Bl...