Plastics - how they changed the world and posed challenges for sustainable and environmentally friendly farming. A review
Keywords:
agriculture, sustainable environment, microplastic particle, strategyAbstract
Plastics occupy an essential place in modern agriculture. Polymers that have long been considered substitutes for classical materials in our country are quite offensive to conquer the name of self-applicable material with a very wide range of applications. An in-depth review of the application of plastic materials in agriculture has been made. The different directions in the use of plastics, vegetables and floriculture also impose great demands on their physico-mechanical and optical properties and qualities: In agriculture, plastics are used to create and maintain specific microclimatic conditions necessary for the normal flow of the vegetation of the plants. Plastic foils play an important role in storage and irrigation systems due to their low cost, flexibility to generate interesting technical solutions, easy installation and efficiency. In addition, there is a great deal of use of plastic in vegetable/fruit transport packaging boxes, plastic pipes for soil heating, drip irrigation and rainwater installations, sliding walls to facilitate ventilation, bands to cover seeds for seedlings production, plastic fans, stopcocks, trays, pots and containers for controlled growing of flowers and vegetables etc. With the exception of the use of PVC in irrigation systems, other applications usually rely on low or high density polyethylene plastics which, depending on their use and climatic conditions, may contain organic or inorganic additives (e.g., metals) to improve the strength and stability of photo degradation, along with other properties.
The biodegradable plastic materials are a state-of-the-art scientific achievement which allows the soil to be treated after use as a result of the action of soil microorganisms. This saves labor and waste disposal costs. Although, fully biodegradable plastic materials have not yet been created. In addition, there is no evidence from toxicological studies that their use is safe for soil health, flora and fauna.
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