Plastic Mulch Improves Plant Growth For One Season, Then Damages Soil: Study

China has led the world in using plastic-film mulch to increase the productivity of its crops, and now it needs to lead the world in removing the plastic residue damaging its croplands, according to a study out this week.

Just days earlier, as if on cue, the Chinese government released Friday the draft of a law that would ban the use of very thin plastic film mulch.