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Effects of Domestic PBAT-based or Multilayer Biodegradable Mulching Film on Film Degradation, Crop Performance, and Suitability for Mechanized Operations in an Onion Field
Seo-Yoon Gu1
,
Hyun-Sug Choi12*
1Department of Horticultural Biotechnology, Hankyong National University, Anseong 17579, Korea
2International Agriculture, Technology and Information, Hankyong National University, Anseong 17579, Korea
*Corresponding Author
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Abstract

Domestically developed biodegradable (BD) mulch films—NBD-I, composed of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polylactic acid (PLA), and lignin; NBD-II, composed of PBAT, PLA, and a hydrolysis inhibitor; along with transparent multilayer NBD-III, composed of PBAT, PLA, and CaCO3 in the outer layers and thermoplastic starch (TPS) in the middle layer—were compared with polyethylene (PE) film and conventional BD film (CBD; PBAT, PLA, and CaCO3). Film degradation, suitability for mechanized field operations, soil properties, and onion (Allium cepa L.) growth and productivity were evaluated. From 30 or 60 to 210 days after transplanting, NBD-III showed progressive reductions in the tensile strength, elongation, and weight retention, together with increased visual degradation and consistently high light transmittance. NBD-II exhibited similarly weak mechanical properties, and both treatments were associated with greater soil hardness and weed biomass. The soil temperature increased in the NBD-III film mulching plots at approximately April, whereas the soil water potential began to decline in March and reached −198 kPa shortly before harvest. Soil organic matter decreased in all NBD treatments, whereas total nitrogen levels decreased in the NBD and CBD treatments. The NBD-III treatment also showed reduced NO3⁻-N, Ca, and Mg concentrations, whereas available P2O5 increased in the NBD-II and NBD-III plots. The onion plant height, stem diameter, leaf number, bulb size, and yield were lowest or reduced in the NBD-III and NBD-II treatments, outcomes also associated with greater lodging and more elongated bulbs. PE showed the greatest suitability for mechanized film laying but caused severe film winding during postharvest tillage. After tillage, small film fragments were most abundant in the 0–10 cm soil layer of the NBD-III plots, whereas large fragments were most abundant in the PE plots. No recoverable BD-film residue remained at a depth of 10 cm by 45 days after burial. Post-burial film loss at 10 cm was negatively associated with weight retention (R2 = 0.628) and tensile strength (R2 = 0.409). Among the BD films, CBD and NBD-I provided the most favorable balance between in-season durability, postharvest degradation, soil conditions, weed suppression, and onion performance.

Keywords
nutrient
polyethylene film
soil moisture
tillage
weed
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Information
  • Publisher :KOREAN SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국원예학회
  • Journal Title :Horticultural Science and Technology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :원예과학기술지
  • Received Date : 2026-08-27
  • Revised Date : 2026-09-28
  • Accepted Date : 2026-10-08
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20260046
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