SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİR TARIM İÇİN BİYOBOZUNUR TEKSTİL ÇÖZÜMLERİ BIODEGRADABLE TEXTILES FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Ümit Halis ERDOĞAN, Figen SELLI Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Tekstil Mühendisliği, İzmir, Türkiye umit.erdogan@deu.edu.tr figenselli@gmail.com ABSTRACT Agricultural textiles are technical textiles which are used conventionally in the fields of farming, horticulture, animal husbandry, forestry and fishery. With their advantages on crop yield and quality, mulches (agricultural covers), which are the second most commonly used agricultural textiles, are becoming more and more prominent. Mulches provide maintenance of soil moisture, preservation of soil structure, weed control, reduction of heat variations in soil and increased vegetation of plants. Due to their low-cost, mulches are generally produced as plastic films from synthetic polymers. These non-degradable synthetic mulches contribute to crop yield and quality, on the other hand, their use also result in environmental pollution, increased labor and costs for cleaning the soil from them after harvest. The aim of this project is to produce biodegradable nonwoven mulches from biopolymers which degrade in soil simultaneously with plant vegetation. The common utilization of biodegradable mulches in agriculture would contribute to prevention of soil pollution, as well as to the improvement of crop yield and quality. Polyethlene mulch pollution on soil after harvest (Hayes et.al 2015) AIM OF PROJECT Bio-based materials are gaining worldwide importance due to increasing consumption of limited natural resources. Besides, environmental pollution threat is remarkable for soil and water. In this project proposal, it is planned to produce nonwoven mulches from biodegradable polymers and investigate the agricultural yield performance. By this way, it is aimed to protect environment and to increase crop yield and quality by producing biodegradable, eco-friendly mulches. EXPECTED OUTCOME In this study, fiber spinning from bio-based polymers will be performed and nonwoven mulches will be produced and then the physical-chemical properties of nonwoven mulches will be analyzed. Biodegradable nonwoven mulches will be tested on the agricultural field, degradation behavior and crop yield performance will be observed. By this project it is expected to produce eco-friendly, sustainable, biodegradable mulch in order to use for the increasing yield performance in agriculture. ESTIMATED PROJECT TIME 24 MONTH ESTIMATED PROJECT BUDGET 150.000,00 TL REFERENCES İlhan, İ., 2015, Tarımsal Uygulamalarda Kullanılan Tekstil Ürünleri, Cukurova University Journal.of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, 30(1), 183-196. Küçükyumuk C ve diğ., 2014, Damlama Su ile Sulanan Elma Ağaçlarında Farklı Malç Uygulamaları ve Sulama Programının Vejetatif Gelişim ve Su Tüketimine Etkisi, YYÜ TAR BİLG, 24(3), 257-269. Hayes, D., Wadsworth, L., 2012, Poly( Lactic Acid )/ Poly( Hydroxyalkanoate ) Nonwovens as Biodegradable Agricultural Mulches, BEPS Conference, Denton, TX. http://www.greenpeace.org/turkey/tr/news/son-900-yilin-en-kotu-kurakligi-150304/ *