Using Plastic To Grow Crops

Using Plastic To Grow Crops PLANTING EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 23-2-5 There's money to be made using plastic to grow crops, say researchers at the "Center for Plasticulture" in Pennsylvania who are probably the world's experts at using plastic in various ways for agriculture. For example, the Center recently brought in an experimental vacuum planter from Ireland to plant sweet corn under a layer of specially-formulated plastic that degrades completely over the course of the growing season. The planter has been used in Ireland to lengthen the growing season for corn. The planter punches holes in plastic to plant seeds as the plastic is unrolled. Other research projects at the Center include walk-under portable tunnels for starting vegetable or other specialty crops in the field. The Center also studies plastic wrap for silage bales, greenhouse covers, plastic mulch, drip irrigation tape and tubing, row covers and many other ag plastics.

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