Effect of Agri-Environmental Conditions on the Degradation of Spunbonded Polypropylene Nonwoven with a Photoactivator in Mulched Organically Managed Zucchini

An experiment with non-degradable and degradable soil mulching materials in zucchini cultivation was carried out in 2016 and 2017 in the organic field of the Vegetable Experimental Station, Agricultural University of Kraków. Two kinds of polypropylene (PP) nonwoven of 50 g m-2 were used: PP standard and PP with 0.1% photoactivator. The control treatment were plots without mulching. The marketable yield obtained in 2016 was 21% and 15% higher on the plots mulched with PP nonwoven and PP nonwoven with a photoactivator, respectively, in comparison with the non-covered plots. Mulching the soil with PP nonwoven increased the water resistance index of the soil structure in comparison with the control and photodegradable PP nonwoven mulch. The progress of degradation over a two-month period showed a 40% reduction in the mass of the PP nonwoven with a photoactivator, and at the end of vegetation the mass of the PP nonwoven used was 52% lower than that of a new one. Tensile parameters of the PP nonwovens and their supramolecular structure were measured.