ABSTRACT
Plasticulture is a technology consisting of the combined use of raised beds, drip irrigation and polyethylene mulch. In Florida, USA [7], this technology is widely used in vegetable crop production, such as: tomato (Solanum lycopersicum; 13,000 ha), bell pepper (Capsicum annuum; 7,500 ha), eggplant (Solanum melongena; no official statistic), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus; 10,500 ha), muskmelon (Cucumis melo; no official statistic), summer and zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo; 5,000 ha), and strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa; 4,000 ha). These crops are grown mainly on the loamy soils of the Florida Panhandle, the deep sandy soils of North and Central Florida, the spodic soils of North-east and South West Florida and the calcareous soils of South Miami-Dade County (Fig. 1).
