Replacing Plastic Mulch with Cover Crops

Extensive use of plastic mulches in food production systems has created massive concerns about the long-term sustainability of using this input. It is critical to find more effective yet environmentally friendly alternatives for plastic mulches to facilitate weed management in organic and conventional production systems. This is a necessary step towards developing more sustainable production systems with a lesser environmental impact that helps to build soil health over time.

During this webinar from the Rodale Institute, explore preliminary results of the Specialty Crop Grant Project established in Camarillo CA where they assessed how replacing plastic mulches with cover crops and living mulches along with no-till and reduced till will affect artichokes and strawberries growth, yield and quality (as a model crop but the results will be applicable to any other vegetable in the rotation), soil health, irrigation water use efficiency, weed suppression efficacy.