Light filtering by innovative plastic films for mulching and soil solarization

In the last two decades, agricultural photoselective films represented a valid contribute for the improvement of crops from a point of view both qualitative and quantitative. We are reporting an update of this kind of plastic, used for mulch and soil sterilization. Optical properties of a new generation of photoselective films are described in comparison with the traditional ones. Agronomical performances are also reported for both mulches and solarisation films. The experimental results demonstrate that thermal photoselective mulches, in comparison with the traditional ones, guarantee higher temperatures at different depths in the soil and this results into better benefits for plant growth. In the frame of solarization, we present recent experimental results on the temperature, collected at different soil depths, obtained with a special film studied for this application. A comparison with traditional films is also presented.