Abstract
In accordance with the sustainable agricultural concepts, the pursuit of eco-conscious solutions has driven research into the development of biodegradable materials for mulching applications as a response to environmental challenges. In this study, biodegradable sprayable films were produced from thermally gelatinized cassava starch suspensions (5% w/v) to explore their potential application as protective coatings for agricultural soils. The starch gelatinization process was optimized to evaluate the feasibility to be applied by the spraying technique. Results showed that it is necessary to carry out a previous dilution of the gelatinized suspensions (1:4) to be able to spray them and form a uniform layer on the soil. To enhance film properties, bentonite clay (0, 5, and 10 wt% starch basis) was introduced as reinforcement and sodium tetraborate (0 and 3 wt% starch basis) as a crosslinking agent. By SEM, a uniform bentonite particle distribution within the starch matrix was observed, and the presence of the highest clay concentration increased the capacity to block UV radiation 8.7 times, while PAR coefficient (photosynthetically active radiation) was reduced up to 30%. Tensile and puncture tests revealed that bentonite and borax presence doubled the final film’s resistance, and its biodegradability was confirmed through water solubility and composting tests. Finally, the application of the sprayable starch films as agronomic mulching did not affect the normal growth of pepper plants. The comprehensive findings from this study provide crucial insights into the implementation of eco-conscious innovations in crop cultivation and soil management techniques.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET, Argentina), the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo, Argentina, Grant SIIP2022: 06/L006-T1), the Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS, Argentina, Grant PGI 24/ZQ18), and the Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (FONCyT, Argentina Grant PICT-2020-SerieA-02022) for the financial support given to perform this research.
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This work was supported by Universidad Nacional del Sur (PGI 24/ZQ18), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (SIIP 06/L006-T1), and Agencia Nacional de Promoción de la Investigación, el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (PICT-2020-SERIEA-02022).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Hector Alejandro Anzorena. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Hector Alejandro Anzorena, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Anzorena, H.A., López, O.V. & Ninago, M.D. Sprayable starch films as mulching for organic agriculture. Org. Agr. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-024-00463-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-024-00463-8