This study intends to evaluate the various types of risk and uncertainties involved in the risk decision-making process of the processed raspberry business, where plastic mulch is a new production technique, drawing on the significance of risk and uncertainty. Participants involved in the use, research, outreach, production, and distribution of plastic mulch, particularly polyethylene (PE) mulch and soil-biodegradable mulch (BDM), were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The results show that there are several types of risk, such as production, pricing, and hidden hazards, with production and price risks being the most important to all participants. PE mulch was rated as having a higher overall risk by industry representatives but a lower risk by producers and the majority of research and outreach specialists. BDM was viewed as dangerous due to unknowns regarding durability, degradability, and potential environmental effects if BDM fragments do not break down easily. Although it will take time for additional research and efforts to communicate knowledge to a larger agricultural audience, the application of PE mulch and/or BDM can be advantageous for raspberry production systems.
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[…]