Soy Containers: Growing Promise Growing Plants:Part 2 of our series discusses how the new bioplastic containers can actually help grow a better plant

摘要

There are several potential benefits of using biocontainers in greenhouse crop production. The most apparent of these benefits are that biocontainers are biorenewable and have the potential to degrade when buried in soil or composted, reducing contributions to landfills and improving sustainability. Additionally, a recent study showed that consumers are attracted to biocontainers and are willing to pay more for a premium product that's produced sustain-ably and has a perceived environmental benefit.These are all excellent benefits that provide growers with opportunities to market and retail sustainable crops grown in biocontainers. But what if biocontainers provided even more benefits—additional practical functions not provided by conventional petroleum-plastic containers?In the last issue of GrowerTalks, we described our progress with bioplastic container prototypes that are suitable for commercial greenhouse production and how several of these prototypes can end their life cycle by degrading in soil or compost. In thisarticle, we'll highlight the added function of soy-based bioplastic containers that provide a fertilizer effect during crop production and we'll discuss strategies growers can employ when these new containers become available.