23 Aug Plasticulture: A source of microplastic in ecosystem
प्लास्टिकल्चर: पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र में माइक्रो प्लास्टिक का एक स्रोत Plasticulture is the use of plastics in agricultural practices; it includes all kinds of plant or soil coverings ranging from mulch films, row coverings, poly-tunnels to greenhouses, lining of farm ponds and micro-irrigation (drips and sprinklers). Plastic mulch allows farmers to grow cash and grains crops in water scarcity areas. The sheets, usually composed of polyethylene, help conserve water, suppress weeds, boost soil temperature, and effectively increasing crop yields by 20 to 60 percent. Plasticulture helps in reducing use of water (~30-40%), agro-chemicals and fertilizers. It can well be incorporated in the mainframe system within the field of sustainable agriculture practices domestically.Its effective implementation is likely to result in robust food grain production and consequent rise in agriculture gross domestic product (GDP) in excess of 4 per cent. Fig 1. Plastic mulch for growing vegetables Use of Plastic in Agriculture Plasticfilm is used for lining farm pond in drought prone areas with highly erratic rainfall. The water seepage and evaporation are major challenges in these areas due to which drop in depth per day of pond water is high. To escape this depletion of stored water, pond sealing is done by installing it with conventional plastic lining. The HDPE (high density polyethylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and polyethylene are mainly...