Development and Evaluation of Mulching Boards Fabricated from Bagasse

Abstract

A new, environmentally friendly, and relatively cheaper fabrication process for mulching boards from sugarcane bagasse is described in this paper. The physical properties of the mulching boards indicate that a mass density of at least 0.4 g/cm3 was necessary for the durability of the mulching boards. In general, the finer boards were more dimensionally stable than the coarser ones. Addition of pearlite, which is a material for improving soil conditions, further enhanced the water absorption capacities of the mulching boards. However, increasing the composition of pearlite also reduced the strengths of the mulching boards. Further tests also revealed that the bagasse-only mulching boards as well as the pearlite-bagasse composite mulching boards did not possess any inhibitory effect on the germination of lettuce. On the whole, all the evaluations suggest that this new material has the potential to replace plastics as mulches in conservation agriculture as well as degraded land restoration projects.