Research on Agriculture Applications of Some Newly Developed Biobased Products

In the frame of the FP7 project FORBIOPLAST, several new polymeric materials were developed whose main novelty was the use of wood fibers as component in composites. Prepared prototypes for agriculture applications were: tomato yarn, plant pots and slow release fertilizers matrices. Main objectives of this study were to evaluate newly produced materials in the agriculture applications. The tomato yarns were tested according to the standards, they were used as support for growth of different horticultural plants both in greenhouses and traditional farming, and its handling at installation and performance during plant growth was evaluated. Yarns made of PLA/Ecoflex-wood based composites show physical-mechanical properties, which compare favorably with traditional plastics used for plant fastening. Round design yarn with composition (PLA:Ecoflex 20:80):Rettenmaier 70:30% was the most suitable material because of its good handling and the wide range of plants (even for heavy plants) it may support. Biodegradable transplanting pots were used for transplanting of plants in open field after a certain growing period in controlled climatic conditions and during the experiments no structure change was noticed after 187 days of usage. The fertilizer sticks were used in plants grown in different soil types and its influence in plants development and fertilizers delivering process but also the influence in microbial biodiversity and microorganisms relevant for soil fertility were evaluated. In general, the amount and diversity of microorganisms increase in the presence of slow-release fertilizers in comparison to levels found in soils amended with liquid fertilizer or with water. The effect of fertilizer on microbial community greatly depends on type of soil and the presence of plant on it. The new starch-wood fertilizer developed in this research promotes growth of microorganisms that are beneficial for soil fertility, such as nitrifying, nitrogen-fixers and phosphate-solubilizers. The increase of wood in starch/wood based fertilizer causes a stimulus in nitrifying bacteria and phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms.