The Effects of Different Plastic Film Mulches on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Soils for Protected Pepper Cultivation
Plastic film mulching is widely used in protected agriculture. However, the residues of various types of plastic films, as a consequence, severely affect soil quality. The most widely promoted alternative strategy is the use of biodegradable plastic films. Nevertheless, the research on the effects o...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/710 |
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| author | Guiliang Wang Nannan He Yulin Li Wen Huang Yifan Cao Juanjuan Wang Xiaoqing Qian Li Yin Xiaoping Zeng |
| author_facet | Guiliang Wang Nannan He Yulin Li Wen Huang Yifan Cao Juanjuan Wang Xiaoqing Qian Li Yin Xiaoping Zeng |
| author_sort | Guiliang Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plastic film mulching is widely used in protected agriculture. However, the residues of various types of plastic films, as a consequence, severely affect soil quality. The most widely promoted alternative strategy is the use of biodegradable plastic films. Nevertheless, the research on the effects of different types of plastic films on soil properties remains insufficient. This study explored the impacts of different plastic film mulching on the physicochemical properties and microbial communities of soils for pepper cultivation, with three treatments: traditional polyethylene film (PE-Ctr), PBAT biodegradable film (PBAT bio), and reinforced polyethylene film (RPE). The results showed that the soil pH value was the highest in PE-Ctr treatment, and the soil organic matter content was higher in the biodegradable film treatment, while the electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate, and some cations (Ca<sup>2+</sup>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>) were higher in the RPE treatment. The contents of available trace element Zn, Fe, and Mn increased in the PBAT bio treatment. The bacterial richness and evenness indices were higher in PBAT bio treatment than those of other treatments. The fungal community had a relatively high richness, but a lower evenness, compared to the PE-Ctr and PBAT bio treatments. The use of different plastic films significantly affected the composition of soil bacteria, while differences in the composition of soil fungi were only observed between the PBAT bio and RPE treatments. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Actinobacteriota were the most dominant bacterial phyla, and Ascomycota and Mortierellomycota were the dominant fungal phylum across all treatments. FAPROTAX functional prediction showed that the abundances of multiple functions of soil bacteria were higher in the RPE treatment, and the chemoheterotrophy function was higher in the PE treatment. FUNGuild analysis indicated that the trophic types and ecological function groups of soil fungi were more abundant in the PBAT bio treatment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-14115ba6728d4f2a80219cdc4d97b3b1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj-art-14115ba6728d4f2a80219cdc4d97b3b12025-08-20T03:27:18ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-06-0111671010.3390/horticulturae11060710The Effects of Different Plastic Film Mulches on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Soils for Protected Pepper CultivationGuiliang Wang0Nannan He1Yulin Li2Wen Huang3Yifan Cao4Juanjuan Wang5Xiaoqing Qian6Li Yin7Xiaoping Zeng8Key Laboratory of Cultivated Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivated Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivated Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivated Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaYangzhou Ruihua Environmental and Bioengineering Research Institute Co., Ltd., Yangzhou 225000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivated Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivated Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, ChinaYangzhou Jiangdu District Comprehensive Agricultural Technology Service Center, Yangzhou 225200, ChinaJiangsu Provincial Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Nanjing 210036, ChinaPlastic film mulching is widely used in protected agriculture. However, the residues of various types of plastic films, as a consequence, severely affect soil quality. The most widely promoted alternative strategy is the use of biodegradable plastic films. Nevertheless, the research on the effects of different types of plastic films on soil properties remains insufficient. This study explored the impacts of different plastic film mulching on the physicochemical properties and microbial communities of soils for pepper cultivation, with three treatments: traditional polyethylene film (PE-Ctr), PBAT biodegradable film (PBAT bio), and reinforced polyethylene film (RPE). The results showed that the soil pH value was the highest in PE-Ctr treatment, and the soil organic matter content was higher in the biodegradable film treatment, while the electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate, and some cations (Ca<sup>2+</sup>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>) were higher in the RPE treatment. The contents of available trace element Zn, Fe, and Mn increased in the PBAT bio treatment. The bacterial richness and evenness indices were higher in PBAT bio treatment than those of other treatments. The fungal community had a relatively high richness, but a lower evenness, compared to the PE-Ctr and PBAT bio treatments. The use of different plastic films significantly affected the composition of soil bacteria, while differences in the composition of soil fungi were only observed between the PBAT bio and RPE treatments. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Actinobacteriota were the most dominant bacterial phyla, and Ascomycota and Mortierellomycota were the dominant fungal phylum across all treatments. FAPROTAX functional prediction showed that the abundances of multiple functions of soil bacteria were higher in the RPE treatment, and the chemoheterotrophy function was higher in the PE treatment. FUNGuild analysis indicated that the trophic types and ecological function groups of soil fungi were more abundant in the PBAT bio treatment.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/710plastic film mulchingsoil propertiesmicrobial community structurefacility agriculturepepper |
| spellingShingle | Guiliang Wang Nannan He Yulin Li Wen Huang Yifan Cao Juanjuan Wang Xiaoqing Qian Li Yin Xiaoping Zeng The Effects of Different Plastic Film Mulches on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Soils for Protected Pepper Cultivation Horticulturae plastic film mulching soil properties microbial community structure facility agriculture pepper |
| title | The Effects of Different Plastic Film Mulches on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Soils for Protected Pepper Cultivation |
| title_full | The Effects of Different Plastic Film Mulches on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Soils for Protected Pepper Cultivation |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of Different Plastic Film Mulches on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Soils for Protected Pepper Cultivation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Different Plastic Film Mulches on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Soils for Protected Pepper Cultivation |
| title_short | The Effects of Different Plastic Film Mulches on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Soils for Protected Pepper Cultivation |
| title_sort | effects of different plastic film mulches on the physicochemical and microbiological properties of soils for protected pepper cultivation |
| topic | plastic film mulching soil properties microbial community structure facility agriculture pepper |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/710 |
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