Location: Water Management and Conservation Research
Project Number: 2020-13000-005-022-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2024
End Date: Jun 30, 2028
Objective:
ARS researchers propose to engineer novel composite biodegradable plastic mulch (BDM) materials containing nitrogen-efficient fertilizers that will lead to significantly increasing the sustainability of the natural resource base.
Approach:
The proposed work will: (a) Synthesize a series of nitrogen containing biodegradable plastic mulches (BDM); (b) Characterize the resulting structural properties of composite BDM; (c) Form resulting BDM's into thin films via extrusion; (d) Evaluate composite BDM degradation properties and products including nutrient release patterns; (e) Evaluate field performance of composite BDM when using treated wastewater for irrigation purposes.
