Plastics Alternative Materials used in Agriculture: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: To identify, analyze, and synthesize the published research about the developments to replace synthetic plastics used in agriculture; to guide researchers and practitioners from various knowledge areas to identify gaps of information, the most prolific authors, and the influential scientific papers that have been published. Research Method: This paper presents a systematic review with a bibliometric analysis; the search was made on the SCOPUS® database up to November 2020. Subsequently, a selection of articles according to the criteria of inclusion and exclusion was carried out and, using bibliometric indicators, VOSviewer v. 1.6.15 and bibliometrix v. 3.0 software, information were obtained to answer the research questions. Findings: Results indicate low scientific production worldwide, only six articles per year as of 2005. Contributions concentrate on a few researchers and developments such as plastic film, mulching, and controlled release materials, and for raw materials polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), Polylactic acid (PLA), and Chitosan. The most prolific country is China, with only 13 articles. Siwek P. is the researcher with the most outstanding contribution and permanence with four documents. Dharmalingam S.; Hayes D.G. and, Wadsworth L.C. are the most prolific authors in the field in terms of the H index. Research Limitations: The analysis was done only employing the SCOPUS database, moreover the worldwide production of articles is changing every day. Originality/value: This type of review gives an overview of the knowledge and the development of a topic; this evidence can be helpful to establish a groundbreaking for future investigations.