Mulch film technology was invented by Japanese scientists in the 1950s and introduced to China in the late 1970s. The first stage of mulch film development in China was from 1979 to 1984, mainly an introduction and experimental phase. The second stage, from 1985 to 1992, was primarily a technology improvement phase. The third stage, beginning in 1993 and lasting for nearly 20 years, can be considered the technology application phase. After 2012, the problem of residual pollution from agricultural mulch film received significant attention from all sectors of society, leading to the fourth stage of mulch film use: a technology upgrading phase.
To address the pollution problem, in October 2017, the newly revised mandatory national standard, "Polyethylene Blown Agricultural Ground Cover Film," was released, specifically stipulating that the film thickness must not be less than 0.01 mm, and stipulating that the new national standard would officially take effect on May 1, 2018. In July 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs again issued the "Administrative Measures for Agricultural Film." The main direction of the technology upgrade phase is to promote biodegradable mulch film. Experts believe that this is an important way to solve the problem of residual pollution from mulch film in the future. In recent years, my country has also been carrying out research and development and promotion of biodegradable mulch film.
