Plastic mulching is often used in high income horticultre to conserve soil moisture and protect crops from competing weeds and pests.
The technology is also spreading among growers in low and middle income countries, but carries substantial costs and causes severe plastic pollution. We conducted a series of pilot tests of modular, reusable mulch-like plastic trays developed by the company Talya in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Comparing treatment and control plots suggests the technology improves yields, depending on what crops is used, sufficiently close to justifying costs under certain assumptions about the product's duration.