PEER-REVIEWED REVIEW ARTICLE bioresources.com Nechita et al. (2010). “Biodegradable pots for planting,” BioResources 5(2), 1102-1113. 1102 THE BIODEGRADABILITY AND MECHANICAL STRENGTH OF NUTRITIVE POTS FOR VEGETABLE PLANTING BASED ON LIGNOCELLULOSE COMPOSITE MATERIALS Petronela Nechita, a * Elena Dobrin, b Florin Ciolacu, c and Elena Bobu c Considering the mild degradation strength and the fact that it may be an organic matter reserve for the soil, in the past years lignocellulosic materials have been used as fibrous raw materials in the manufacture of biodegradable nutritive pots for the seedling in vegetable containerized production. This paper analyses the behavior of the nutritive pots made from biodegradable composites for the vegetable seedling production process, focusing on their mechanical strength properties and biodegradability. It was found that the biodegradability of composite materials obtained from a mixture of secondary cellulosic fibers, peat, and additives, is strongly influenced by the presence or absence of the rhizosphere effect and the synergistic relations set in the culture substrate between the plant roots and microorganisms, which develop permanently the recycling and solubilization of mineral nutrients. The results showed that the presence in the substrate of some complex populations made by heterotrophic bacteria favors full degradation of the pulp and lignin contained in the substrate and pots composition. Therefore, unlike the reference sample (plant-free), cultivated versions exhibited an intense biodegradation on the account of rhizosphere effect. Keywords: Biodegradable nutritive pots; Lignocellulosic materials; Secondary cellulosic fibres; Peat; Biodegradability; Seedling; Wet strength; Dry strength Contact information: a: Pulp and Paper Research and Development Institute – SC Ceprohart SA Braila, RO-810019 Romania; b: University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Dept. of Horticulture, Bucharest, Romania; c: Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, RO-700050 Romania *Corresponding author : E-mail:petronela.nechita@ceprohart.ro INTRODUCTION In the past years there have been serious concerns regarding the increasing use of plastics and their effects on the environment and public health in the long term. Synthetic polymers are based on non-renewable resources, are non-biodegradable, release dioxins by incineration, and require extensive volume for disposal. All of these aspects involve additional costs for solid waste management, which is driven by factors along the entire life cycle (US Government Office 1989). Plant seedling biodegradable pots enable direct transfer of plants into soil in a normal growth position, without affecting the roots, and moreover such technology does not generate solid waste, as in case of plastic pots. In this system, the seedling growth support is transferred into the soil at the same time with the plant, and as a result of soil environmental factors (temperature, moisture, microorganisms, etc.) it starts to degrade, allowing the roots to penetrate its walls (Patent no.7-327507, 1995). The biodegradation