By Debabrata Nath and Sudhanshu Singh (IRRI South Asia Regional Center, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Biodegradable film mulching is a promising, affordable solution for rice farming that can significantly reduce water use and greenhouse gas emissions while improving soil health and increasing yields, offering a climate-resilient alternative to traditional flooded rice systems, particularly with further research and adoption in South Asia.
Rice farming is increasingly under global inspection due to its high water use and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Traditional puddled transplanted rice systems depend on continuous flooding, which affects soil health, induces water stress, and creates conditions suited for producing methane, a greenhouse gas that is shorter-lived but has a much higher global warming potential compared to carbon dioxide.
Around the world, rice is still largely grown under flooded conditions, releasing substantial methane and consuming a major share of freshwater resources. With the increasing impact of climate stress and water scarcity, farmers and scientists are looking for practical and sustainable alternatives.
Biodegradable film (biofilm) can be considered as a promising opportunity to mitigate such challenges. Studies show that Biofilm can help improve rice productivity and reduce environmental impact (Gao et al., 2023, 2025).
What is biofilm?
Biofilms are thin sheets made of plant-based materials such as polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA) which are derived from crops like corn and sugarcane. These films naturally break down in the soil within ~100 days, leaving no residue (Gao et al., 2023). When applied as mulch, they create a more supportive environment by improving moisture retention, suppresses weed, reducing labour needs, and supporting better crop establishment.
Environmental benefits
Biofilm mulching in rice systems has several environmental benefits. It regulates soil temperature, promotes moisture retention, and nutrient-use efficiency while suppressing weed development and lowering labor requirements.
This integrated system contributes to:
- Reduce irrigation water requirement up to 50-60% (Yao et al., 2017; Gao et al., 2023, 2025)
- Suppresses aerobic weeds
- Reduces methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by up to 54% (Yao et al., 2017)
- Reduces global warming potential substantially (Gao et al., 2023)
Agronomic advantages
Biodegradable film provides major agronomic benefits in rice systems:
- Improves seedbeds and seed-to-soil contact for faster and more uniform seedling growth.
- Improves tillering, dry matter accumulation, and root development.
- Minimizes fertilizer leaching by reducing surface runoff and volatilization.
- Stabilizes soil temperature and decreases evaporation losses.
These enhancements can result in yield gains of ~20-25% when compared to traditional puddled transplanted rice systems (Zhang et al., 2017, Gao et al., 2023, 2025).
Affordability
With an average paddy production of 5-6 t/ha-1 and current market values of ~ $300 per ton, the gross return per hectare exceeds $1,500 to $1,800. The price of biofilm currently ranges between ~$100-120/ha-1 (which can be reduced through localized manufacturing and sourcing of raw materials). Further accounting for reduced inputs like fertilizer and irrigation can contribute to significant net returns.
The application of biodegradable films in rice fields.
Soil health improvements
Biofilm works not only as a physical barrier, but also as an organic addition when soil health deteriorates. It adds organic carbon to the soil, increasing its organic matter and boosting microbial activity, which aids nutrient cycling and improves soil structure. The shift from disturbing soil to active soil conditioning through mulching is crucial for long-term soil resilience and sustainability (Yao et al., 2017; Zhao et al., 2024).
Supporting sustainable direct-seeded rice
Direct-seeded rice (DSR) is emerging as a major water-saving alternative to traditional transplanting. However, the lack of standing water often leads to increased weed pressure. Biofilm can help overcome this problem by acting as a physical barrier that prevents weed emergence, reducing dependency on water-based weed control. When used together with recommended practices for direct-seeded rice, biofilm can enhance water use efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and maintain soil health by supporting soil microbial activity (Li et al., 2021).
Research gaps in South Asia
Although biodegradable film shows strong potential, its use in rice farming is still limited in South Asia. Given the region’s dependence on rice farming and its vulnerability to climate change, more research is needed.
Future studies should focus on:
- Field-level validation across different agro-ecological regions
- Farm economic assessment under local farming conditions
- Integration with existing sustainable rice production practices (DSR, AWD, timely sowing, etc.)
- Local manufacturing options to reduce the cost of Biofilm production
With targeted research and wider adoption, Biofilm can play a critical role in building climate-resilient rice systems, promoting food security and environmental sustainability in South Asia.
References:
Gao, H., Liu, Q., Gong, D., Liu, H., Luo, L., Cui, J., … & Mei, X. (2023).
Biodegradable film mulching reduces the climate cost of saving water without yield penalty in dryland rice production.
Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 197, 107071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107071
Gao, H., Yan, C., Whalen, J. K., He, W., Liu, H., Cui, J., … & Mei, X. (2025).
Biodegradable mulch films support root proliferation and yield in water-saving rice production.
Journal of Integrative Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jia.2025.07.015
Li, H., Zeng, S., Luo, X., Fang, L., Liang, Z., & Yang, W. (2021).
Effects of small ridge and furrow mulching degradable film on dry direct seeded rice.
Scientific reports, 11(1), 317.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79227-9
Yao, Z., Zheng, X., Liu, C., Lin, S., Zuo, Q., & Butterbach-Bahl, K. (2017).
Improving rice production sustainability by reducing water demand and greenhouse gas emissions with biodegradable films.
Scientific Reports, 7(1), 39855.
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep39855
Zhang, Y., Liu, M., Dannenmann, M., Tao, Y., Yao, Z., Jing, R., … & Lin, S. (2017).
Benefits of using biodegradable film on rice grain yield and N use efficiency in ground cover rice production system.
Field Crops Research, 201, 52-59.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2016.10.022
Zhao, Z., He, W., Chen, G., Yan, C., Gao, H., & Liu, Q. (2024).
Dry Direct-Seeded Rice Yield and Water Use Efficiency as Affected by Biodegradable Film Mulching in the Northeastern Region of China.
Agriculture, 14(2), 170.
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14020170
