/
Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced

Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced - PowerPoint Presentation

karlyn-bohler
karlyn-bohler . @karlyn-bohler
Follow
405 views
Uploaded On 2016-03-13

Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced - PPT Presentation

Under Protective Covers Crops Working Group Progress Report Annette Wszelaki and Jeff Martin TN Russ Wallace and Joel Webb TX Carol Miles Tom Walters Debbie Inglis Jonathan Roozen Babette Gundersen Jacky King and Jeremy Cowan WA ID: 253572

degradation results strawberry high results degradation high strawberry tunnels mulch weight spunbond higher marketable plastic field biobag damage biotelo

Share:

Link:

Embed:

Download Presentation from below link

Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crop..." is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.


Presentation Transcript

Slide1

Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced Under Protective Covers

Crops Working Group Progress Report

Annette Wszelaki and Jeff Martin, TN Russ Wallace and Joel Webb, TX

Carol Miles, Tom Walters, Debbie Inglis, Jonathan Roozen, Babette Gundersen, Jacky King and Jeremy Cowan, WASlide2

Key objectives:Evaluate high-value crops commonly used in high tunnel production in relation to productivity, environmental conditions, pest/disease threats, and profitability.

Evaluate tomatoes grown in HT versus open field settings with five BDM treatments and a bareground control.

Study BDMs in greenhouse and field settings in terms of impacts on soil ecology and root health as well as meeting ASTM (and grower) standards for bio-degradability.

Ascertain economic costs and benefits of HT and BDM use.

Identify barriers and bridges to HT and BDM adaptation through focus groups.Slide3

Wind and blowing dust causes weathering on TX tunnels- making them appear to be years older than they really are!

Wind damage to WA tunnels in 2010Slide4

Hail Damage in Tennessee in April 2011

Come hail… Slide5

Crops Working Group Progress Report

Flooding in Texas in 2010

…or high water!Slide6

Lettuce Cultivars 2010

Adriana (Butterhead/Boston)

Coastal Star (Romaine)

Ermosa (Butterhead/Boston)

Greenstar

(Greenleaf)

Jericho (Romaine)

New

Redfire

(

Redleaf

)Slide7

TN Lettuce ResultsBoth total (number and weight) and marketable yield (weight) differed significantly among varieties and between HT and OF locations. Total yields were higher in HT, while marketable yields were higher in OF, due to bolting. Coastal Star had significantly higher marketable yield (by weight) than all other varieties. Slide8

TX Lettuce ResultsSignificant V x L interactions were observed for

yield and DTH. Also significant varietal differences for all variables except total plant number. Within HT,

Romaines

had

significantly higher total plant weight compared to the other four

varieties.

In

the OF, Jericho, Coastal Star and Green Star had the highest

weights.

The

number of marketable plants/plot in HT did not differ, while in the OF

Butterheads

had fewer

marketable

plants, due

to increased

bolting. Slide9

WA Lettuce ResultsLettuce yield was not different due to cultivar or location (HT and OF) except that head height, head diameter and core length were greater in the HT.

Days to harvest were 1 day less in the HT compared to OF, and the earliest maturing cultivar was Green Star (56 DAT) and Jericho and Adriana were the latest (61.25 DAT), but differences were NS. The relatively cool mild temperatures in NW WA did not induce bolting; however, if temperatures are too cool and rainfall is somewhat high, disease pressure (i.e., Botrytis) and slugs may become an issue. Slide10

Tip Burn

SclerotiniaSlide11

Tomato Cultivars 2010

Celebrity (

Determinate)

Cherokee Purple

(Indeterminate)

Early Girl

(Indeterminate)

Red Brandywine (Indeterminate)

Stupice

(

Indeterminate)

Oregon Spring (Determinate)

Red Defender (Determinate)

Homestead

24

(Determinate)Slide12
Slide13
Slide14
Slide15
Slide16
Slide17
Slide18
Slide19

Strawberry Cultivars Fall 2010

Albion

(

Everbearing

,

Bareroot

and Plugs)

San Andreas

(

Everbearing

,

Bareroot

)

Chandler

(June Bearing, Plugs)

LCN

(June Bearing, Plugs)

Strawberry Festival

(June Bearing, Plugs)Slide20

TN Strawberry Results

2010 Spring Planting- temperatures got too hot, too fast2011 Harvests:High Tunnels (HT) started March 23… still going.

Open Field (OF) started April 15 and done in by hail on April 27.

Fall planting much better suited to TN climate.

Higher quality and yields of berries in HT.

Hail caused damage both inside and outside; HT plants rebounded, OF did not

Strawberry Festival and Albion (Plugs) top yielders in both HT and OF

Poor pollination, insect damage and leather rot top 3 reasons for unmarketable fruitSlide21

TX Strawberry Results

Harvests:High Tunnels (HT) –over 30 harvest (Feb. 21).Open Field (OF) –15 harvests (Apr. 5) .

Opposite response to spring planting vs. fall planting.

Production:

Higher quality and yields of berries in HT.

OF plots hailed on causing damage to plants.

Increased bird and rodent damage to OF.

Early populations of mites & aphids in HT that needed to be controlled.

Botrytis infected most berries in storage study.Slide22

WA Strawberry Results

Strawberry total yields were comparable in HT and OF, but marketable yield was greater and culls were less in HTs; culls accounted for 29% of the berries in HTs, and for 46% of the berries in OF; there were fewer overripe and damaged fruit in HTs.‘Seascape’ produced more marketable berries

and more culls than ‘San Andreas’ or ‘Albion’ in both HT and OF.

Type III Bronzing was the most common cause of culled strawberry fruit; catfacing was also common, and in OF ‘Seascape’ had the highest levels; Botrytis and water damage occurred in OF but not HT. Slide23
Slide24

Product

Company

Mulch Content

BioBag Ag-Film

BioBag

;

Palm Harbor,

FL

Cornstarch and non-disclosed biopolymers, biodegradable & compostable

BioTelo Agri

Dubois

Agrinovation

;

Waterford, ON,

CAN

Spunbond

nonwoven

Saxon, GER;

NatureWorks

LLC,

Blair,

NE

100% PLA

Black Plastic, 1.0 mil

Pliant Corp.;

Schaumburg, IL

Standard polyethylene, agricultural plastic control

Weed Guard Plus

Sunshine Paper Co. LLC; Aurora, CO

Cellulosic, biodegradable control

Non-mulch,

bareground

controlSlide25

TN BDM ResultsDegradation took place more slowly in HT versus OF.

Spunbond and the traditional black plastic mulches showed very little degradation in both the high tunnel and open field plots. Both of the cornstarch based mulches (BioBag and

BioTelo

) showed significant visual degradation in the tunnels and open field by the final evaluation date in August.

The cellulose control degraded similarly to the

BioBag

in the open field, but degraded more slowly inside the tunnels, likely due to the protection from wind and rain that the tunnels provide.

Weed count was significantly greater in the HT than in the OF at Time 2 but not at Time 3.

The greatest # and weight of weeds were in the

Spunbond

treatment, while for all other treatments, weed # and weight were significantly less and statistically equivalent. Slide26

TX BDM ResultsExperimental Spunbond

material and the polyethylene black plastic did not show signs of degradation (Rips, Tears and Holes (RTH)) either in the HT or OF plots. Therefore, the spunbond mulch would not likely be considered a good alternative to polyethylene black plastic in terms of decreasing grower’s labor and disposal costs for mulch removal

BioBag

,

BioTelo

and

WeedGuard

Plus showed significant surface degradation (RTH) by Oct 8, and the average rate was higher in the OF compared to HT environment.

While the numbers of RTH in HT compared to OF plots on Oct 8 were to some degree similar, the associated %SAE was much greater in OF compared to HT plots.

BioBag

and

BioTelo

still required removal by hand both inside the HT and in the OF.

In spring 2011, during land prep, small and large pieces of all the mulches except

WeedGuard

Plus were found, suggesting that more rapid degradation is needed to eliminate hand removal, especially when used under high tunnel production on the TX High Plains. Slide27

Pieces of BDMs found in TX plots on May 16

No evidence WeedGuardPlusSlide28

WA BDM ResultsTotal # and weight of ‘Celebrity’ tomato fruit were less in bareground

and Spunbond than in BioBag and BioTelo treatments.

Tomato fruit cracking was least in the

bareground

treatment.

M x L interaction for number of tears and visual assessment of degradation;

spunbond

and black plastic mulch had the least degradation assessed visually in both HT and OF while

BioTelo

and cellulose control had the most; visual degradation was 2-4 times greater in OF than in HT for all treatments.

Weeds did not differ between HT and OF; weed # and weight were significantly greater in

Spunbond

mulch than in all other mulch treatments.

In OF, black plastic mulch tended to have less soil moisture than the other treatments; in HT,

bareground

tended to dry out more rapidly and had more pronounced wet/dry cycles. Slide29

Hot TopicsReviewing and/or tweaking protocols for crop harvest and quality assessment (tomato grading in particular), and for weed, disease, insect and environmental monitoring

Plan for manuscripts and writing assignmentsStrawberry cultivar selection and procurement

What other sorts of weather events can the tunnels endure?