Trial of biodegradable mulch materials (Kent 2012)

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Forestry Commission
Last updated:
19 March 2020
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Open Government Licence
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Summary

Mulches are materials applied to the soil surface to control the growth of competitive weeds. The durability, practicality, and weed control efficacy of a range of mulch materials was tested for three years on a fertile ex-arable site planted with ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior (L.)) in southern England. Herbicides controlled weed growth effectively and resulted in the largest height and diameter increments for the lowest material cost. Biodegradable starch membrane mats, compressed wood fibre boards and hemp fibre mats did not control weed growth and did not improve height or stem diameter increment compared to the control. Hardboard and rubber mats both controlled weed growth and also significantly increased height and stem diameter increment. However, hardboard was difficult to handle on-site and rubber mats increased mortality, probably by reducing soil moisture availability. Costs of these treatments were high, partly due to small scale, experimental manufacture. Coir fibre mats with photodegradable membrane backing were durable, highly effective and practical. This was the only commercially available fully degradable material tested that resulted in a good growth response, comparable to that of non-biodegradable black plastic mats, which are often used on sites where herbicide use is not appropriate. On similar ex-agricultural sites, where a non-chemical approach is desirable, 1.2 m x 1.2 m coir mats with a photodegradable membrane are a practical alternative resulting in cost-effective growth benefits, although herbicides remain a cheaper, more effective option. See also: Stokes, V. (2012) Some biodegradable mulch materials provide effective weed control during establishment of ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) on farm woodland sites. Quarterly Journal of Forestry, 106 (4): 257-268. Attribution statement:

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Added to data.gov.uk
2020-03-19
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There are no public access constraints to this data. Use of this data is subject to the licence identified.
Harvest GUID
c83b7388-c5bc-440a-a757-cb1b8be48192
Extent
Latitude: 51.402° to 51.394°
Longitude: 0.382° to 0.39000000000000007°
Spatial reference system
http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/27700
Dataset reference date
2009-11-01 (creation)
2016-05-06 (revision)
Frequency of update
notPlanned
Responsible party
Forestry Commission (pointOfContact)
ISO 19139 resource type
dataset
Metadata language
eng
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Contains Forestry Commission information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.