Researchers studied the biodegradability of nonwoven fabrics buried in soil. They buried six nonwoven fabrics for periods ranging from 2-64 weeks in two soils with differing pH levels and evaluated the samples based on tensile strength, elongation properties, colorimetric analyses, and polarized light microscopy. The fabrics included recycled melt blown polyethylene terephthalate webs, spun bonded and melt blown polypropylene webs, and thermal bonded cotton/polypropylene webs. Results showed that extractable nutrient levels in the soils did not decrease as the length of fabric burial increased. Fabrics buried in the acidic red clay showed the greatest amount of color change. Cotton containing test samples showed the greatest color change irrespective of soil type and length of burial. Photomicrographs showed that by the end of the 64 week burial period, cotton fibers were totally gone or in shredded components. The polypropylene and recycled polyester filaments showed fibrillations and cracks after four weeks of burial. The nonacidic Calloway silt loam caused the greatest amount of physical degradation to all samples. 15 refs.