The pollution caused by plastic mulch film in agriculture has garnered significant attention. To safeguard the ecosystem from the detrimental effects of plastic pollution, it is imperative to investigate the use of biodegradable materials for manufacturing agricultural plastic film. Biochar has emerged as a feasible substance for the production of biodegradable mulch film (BDM), providing significant agricultural soil benefits. Although biochar has been widely applied in BDM manufacturing, the effect of biochar-filled plastic mulch film on soil carbon stock after its degradation has not been well documented. This study provides an overview of the current stage of biochar incorporated with BDM and summarizes its possible pathway on soil carbon stock contribution. The application of biochar-incorporated BDM can lead to substantial changes in soil microbial diversity, thereby influencing the emissions of greenhouse gases. These alterations may ultimately yield unforeseen repercussions on the carbon cycles. However, in light of the current knowledge vacuum and potential challenges, additional study is necessary to ascertain if biochar-incorporated BDM can effectively mitigate the issues of residual mulch film and microplastic contamination in agricultural land. Significant progress remains necessary before BDM may fully supplant traditional agricultural mulch film in agricultural production.

The increasing demand for agricultural land is driving deforestation, which contributes to rising greenhouse gas emissions—a primary driver of climate change. Agroforestry systems present a valuable alternative approach for mitigating these emissions. This study investigates the influence of various agroforestry systems on key parameters for assessing soil carbon dynamics, including soil carbon stock, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and microbial respiration (MR) in northern Thailand. The study compared different agroforestry systems, such as coffee monoculture (CA), coffee intercropped with forest trees (CF), coffee intercropped with persimmon trees (CP), and natural forest (NF), as reference areas. Soil samples were collected from three depths (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm) across three seasons (rainy, cold, and summer). Results showed that soil carbon from land use changes from NF to coffee agroforestry systems led to a 12.10% increase in CF and an 11.89% decrease in CP. The CA system showed a non-significant 9.06% decrease compared to the natural forest. MBC levels were higher in the agroforestry coffee areas (CF and CP), comparable to those in NF. However, CA exhibited significantly lower MBC (p < 0.05) compared to other treatments. While MBC and MR showed a positive correlation, higher MBC did not necessarily indicate increased microbial activity or significant dissolved organic carbon (DOC) accumulation. Environmental factors, particularly seasonal variations, significantly influenced the results across all three investigations. This study demonstrates that both agroforestry coffee systems (CF and CP) more effectively mitigate deforestation impacts and enhance soil fertility compared to coffee monoculture. For carbon stock enhancement specifically, CF emerged as the optimal choice.

The increasing demand for agricultural land is driving deforestation, which contributes to rising greenhouse gas emissions—a primary driver of climate change. Agroforestry systems present a valuable alternative approach for mitigating these emissions. This study investigates the influence of various agroforestry systems on key parameters for assessing soil carbon dynamics, including soil carbon stock, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and microbial respiration (MR) in northern Thailand. The study compared different agroforestry systems: coffee monoculture (CA), coffee intercropped with forest trees (CF), coffee intercropped with persimmon trees (CP), and natural forest (NF) as reference areas. Soil samples were collected from three depths (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm) across three seasons (rainy, cold, and summer). Results showed that soil carbon from land-use changes from NF to coffee agroforestry systems led to a 12.10% increase in CF and an 11.89% decrease in CP. The CA system showed a non-significant 9.06% decrease compared to the natural forest. MBC levels were higher in the agroforestry coffee areas (CF and CP), comparable to those in NF. However, CA exhibited significantly lower MBC (p < 0.05) compared to other treatments. While MBC and MR showed a positive correlation, higher MBC did not necessarily indicate increased microbial activity or significant dissolved organic carbon (DOC) accumulation. Environmental factors, particularly seasonal variations, significantly influenced the results across all three investigations. This study demonstrates that both agroforestry coffee systems (CF and CP) more effectively mitigate deforestation impacts and enhance soil fertility compared to coffee monoculture. For carbon stock enhancement specifically, CF emerged as the optimal choice.

The pollution caused by plastic mulch film in agriculture has garnered significant attention. To safeguard the ecosystem from the detrimental effects of plastic pollution, it is imperative to investigate the use of biodegradable materials for manufacturing agricultural plastic film. Biochar has emerged as a feasible substance for the production of biodegradable mulch film (BDM), significantly improving providing agricultural soil benefits. Although biochar has been widely applied in the BDM manufacturing, the effect of biochar-filled plastic mulch film on soil carbon stock has not been well documented. This study provides an overview of the current stage of biochar incorporated with BDM and summarizes the possible pathway of biochar incorporated BDM on soil carbon stock contribution. The application of biochar incorporated BDM can lead to substantial changes in soil microbial diversity, thereby influencing the emissions of greenhouse gas. These alterations may ultimately yield unforeseen repercussions on the carbon cycles. In light of the current knowledge vacuum and potential challenges, additional study is necessary to ascertain if biochar incorporated BDM can effectively mitigate the issues of residual mulch film and microplastic contamination in agricultural land. However, significant progress remains necessary before BDM may fully supplant traditional agricultural mulch film in agricultural production.

1. Agroecosystems are increasingly threatened by pollution and the accumulation of heavy metals arising from excessive pesticide use, rapid urbanization, and industrial activities, which adversely ...