FIGURE 1.

Indirect [polyethylene and biodegradable mulches (BDMs)] and direct (BDMs only) effects of plastic mulching on soil ecosystems. Plastic mulches form a barrier on the soil surface which influences soil temperature, moisture and soil-air gas exchange, indirectly altering the microbial communities. BDMs are tilled into the soil at the end of the growing season, introducing physical fragments and a carbon source, along with other components of the plastic films (additives, plasticizers, minerals, etc.) which may additionally influence soil communities and their processes.