A spray-on environmentally friendly degradable mulch material and its high efficiency in controlling above-ground biomass of weeds in greenhouse experiments

This study describes a novel spray-on mulch material as an alternative to currently used weed control methods. The mulch material is based on renewable raw materials, mainly rapeseed oil, starch and sodium alginate. Laboratory tests were conducted to obtain a mulch material with the best possible properties. Formulations with different ingredients were prepared and tested for their material properties. The formulations were investigated for potential shrinkage tendency and heat resistance as well as water resistance. Further tests such as resistance to mould infestation and aerobic degradability according to DIN EN ISO 17556 were carried out with the formulation that performed best in the previous tests. Mould resistance was enhanced by adding sodium benzoate. In the laboratory experiment, the CO2 decomposition rate was about 30