Mangrove restoration drives are carried out in several regions across the Indian coast. However, the establishment of mangrove nurseries using plastic bags to plant seedlings results in a large amount of plastic waste at the end of each plantation drive. In this study, hand-woven Palmyra (Borassus flabellifer, Arecaceae) bags were used as a replacement for plastic bags to grow seedlings. The analysis from the study revealed that palmyra bags were able to withstand water inundation conditions similar to those of mangrove tidal flats for a maximum of 6 months, beyond which they disintegrated. The mangrove seedlings showed good growth similar to that in plastic bags, but the roots were well spread in Palmyra bags compared to plastic bags. During plantation, the seedling along with the bag can be planted as the bags are biodegradable, which is an advantage over plastic bags that need removal. It also provided an alternative source of livelihood for the local fishermen’s community, which prepared the palmyra bags. The conclusion from the study reveals that Palmyra bags prove to be an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags in reforestation programmes.
The current study examines the contamination of microplastics in three greenhouse types: abandoned, normal, and simple. The findings revealed that the abundance of microplastics was found to be the highest in the abandoned greenhouse, followed by the normal greenhouse and simple greenhouse. The mean abundance of microplastic organic fertilizer and irrigation water was also high.[…]
The study examines the distribution of residual film after eight years of film mulching in mid-April 2018. Results from the study revealed that eight years of mulching significantly increased the quantity of agricultural mulch film residues in the soil. The size of residual film fragments was found to vary from 0.25 cm2 to 109 cm2,[…]
A study in Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province, investigated microplastic pollution in different land uses, including facility farmland, traditional farmland, orchard, grassland, and woodland. Results showed a significant difference in microplastic abundance and characteristics between different land use types. Facility farmlands, traditional farmlands, and orchard lands had higher microplastic abundance than grasslands and woodlands. The main[…]
The study analysed 225 soil samples from maize planting zones in northern China, revealing that long-term plastic film mulching increases microplastic pollution in agricultural soils. The abundance of microplastics was significantly higher in mulched soils (754 ± 477 items kg-1) than in non-mulched soils (376 ± 149 items kg-1). The length of time with film[…]
The study examined the relative abundances and morphological distributions of microplastics (MPs) in water, sediments, and farmland soils in the Caohai Lake region. The estuary in the study area was considered a potential sink for MP transportation. Transparent and black MPs accounted for a large proportion of MPs in the five environments, with possible sources[…]