Plasticulture: Diffusion of plastic materials in the agricultural sector

Abstract

For more than half a century, the use of plastic in agriculture has given farmers opportunities for growing fruits and vegetables regardless of the season, and at the same time achieving better quality compared to open-field cultivation. The use of plastics, through various specific techniques, helps reduce the consumption of various resources such as water, energy, fertilizers or pesticides.We could say that without these plastics a significant amount of cultivated fruits and vegetables could not be harvested in early conditions and could not be preserved and conditioned in controlled parameters. Plastic is a very important material for economy but also in everyday life. The use of plastic in agriculture has increased from year to year, thus contributing to both the increase of agricultural production and the improvement of the quality of food.Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that are used for various purposes. In the plastic industry, are used raw materials, such as cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and, of course, crude oil. Plastics are extremely versatile materials and are ideal for a wide range of applications for industry as well as for consumers.