Mechanical design requirements for low tunnel biodegradable and conventional films

The adequacy of various formulations of biodegradable agricultural films for low tunnels depends primarily on their mechanical behaviour and, of course, on their biodegradability behaviour, as compared to the corresponding behaviour of conventional low tunnel films. In the present work, the mechanical design requirements for low tunnel fully biodegradable as well as conventional films are defined. These requirements are crucial in terms of the adequacy of commercially available or new agricultural films as well as for defining the minimum allowable thickness of thin biodegradable films. Impact and tear resistance requirements and the effect of degradation are not considered in the present work. (C) 2003 Silsoe Research Institute. All rights reserved Published by Elsevier Ltd.