Story: Why should nonwovens be used in agriculture and horticulture?

The use of nonwovens is increasing in agriculture in many fields. Non-wovens are used in agriculture to optimize the productivity of crops, orchards, and greenhouses. Their protective nature means that the need for pesticides is reduced and manual labor is kept to a minimum. In the application of capillary mats, non-wovens promote healthy growth of flowers and vegetables in greenhouses using soil-less growing methods. They are engineered to optimize water absorption, distribution, storage, and fertilizer distribution for each individual plant. The use of non-woven crop covers on land increases yields and improves crop quality. Very light, flexible sheets are laid over the seedbed, creating a microclimate in which heat and humidity are regulated. Plant growth is accelerated and they are protected from adverse weather conditions and insects.

Reasons why nonwovens are being used in agriculture include; Fabric with high strength, durability, and elasticity, custom fit, biodegradable, frost, and insect protection, exceptional permeability, weed control, heat control, sealable, holes between the intersecting fibers of nonwoven sheets large enough to allow air and water to reach the crop, but keep insects out. Small enough to keep, good light transmission, moisture absorption, increases the effect of fertilizers, disease reduction, protection allows plants and crops to grow without the use of pesticides and herbicides, etc.

As the global population and urbanization both increase, the prices of staple foods such as wheat and rice have increased in recent years, and food shortages are expected to increase in many regions of the world.

Consequently, agricultural yields need to be improved and farming practices need to be improved by any means necessary.

A challenge for farmers is to produce earlier, more consistent crops with minimal wastage or crop loss. Here, nonwoven crop covers can be of considerable help. Their use has been proven to increase both yield and crop quality, as these very light, flexible sheets are placed over the seed bed to create a micro-climate where heat and humidity are controlled. As a result, plant growth can be accelerated and they are also protected from both adverse weather conditions and pests. Another function of this type of cover crop is to help consolidate crop size, while allowing controlled amounts of water, light, and fertilizer to enter, making earlier sowing and harvesting possible.

Crop covers have to adapt to a wide range of climates and crop types, and non-wovens can be engineered in terms of strength, durability, resilience, and light transmission properties to give them optimal properties. Some crop covers even need to be tough enough to resist abrasion from the crop, such as strawberry plants which can wear holes in the flimsy material, thus allowing potentially harmful insects to enter. Physical dimensions are also critical, and leading manufacturers of these materials have developed products for a wide range of applications – from open field covers to macro tunnels.

Farming, however, is always getting bigger, and in many countries, modern industrial processes have resulted in individual fields being larger than whole farms, since they can now be managed more efficiently and with fewer people. -Editor