Milena Poledica, PhD
Every improvement in crop yield and quality is based on strength and ability of plants to defend against environmental stress and other factors. If we consider that plants cannot move to a better habitat in stress conditions, the good agricultural practice and plant protection become important task to overall crop, achieve quality and ensure a profitable production.
Plant health management is practice of understanding and overcoming the factors that limit plants from achieving their full genetic potential. Today, science and agricultural practice go so far away, that we can control great number of factors which can affect plant development and cropping.
Cover screens in greenhouses, open field, orchard and vineyards are important part of substantial agriculture. They can provide different levels of protection and response to some challenges to achieve perfect conditions for your plants:
- biological protection against birds and small animals, pest infestations and indirectly virus infection;
- physical protection against adverse weather conditions (hail, rain, excessive radiation, wind);
- influence crops by environmental modification (shading, humidity, temperature, improve air movement);
- affect quality light by controlling the amount of reflected, transmitted and diffused light. And help producer to grow healthy, strong and protected plants.
Consumers and the public in general developed awareness of pesticide toxicity and strong demand for clean and healthy food. Suppressing damages by Insect Screen Control – Biorete, we can significantly reduce the need for chemical inputs in crop production and reduce pollution levels in food and soil. Furthermore, by providing better air movement – Biorete Air Plus we can improve humidity conditions in greenhouses and reduce presence of fungal diseases.
Better cropping
A perfect balance of humidity, temperatures, light levels and air exchange is required to provide ideal conditions for plant development. Screens in different colors, air and water permeability, shading power and additives for light diffusing can be a useful tool to stimulate and regulate the most important physiological processes like photosynthesis, transpiration and respiration. For example, wide range of thermo-reflective Prisma screens with light diffusion additive and different shading factor (30-90%) can provide the right amount of light and optimal temperatures for different crops, cultivation areas and climates. Greater proportion of scattered light will activate every part of your plant to do photosynthesis and improve physiological status of plants. This creates conditions for better growth and yielding, even better coloring and appearance of your crops.
Healthier crops and people
In optimal growth conditions, plant crop contains more dry matter, vitamins, mineral compounds, less pesticide residues and usually have better sensory and long-term storage qualities. They also produce higher amounts of polyphenolic compounds and other antioxidants equally important for plant and human health. Numerous studies have shown that different agricultural practices including covering can run various pathways of synthesis and variation in the content of phenol in plant tissue and crops. In plants phenolic compounds are important for reproduction, pigmentation and resistance to pathogens. They are not only a protective mechanism against biotic and abiotic stress but a part of a molecular program that contributes to the normal growth and development of plants. On the other side those phenolic compounds are the source of natural antioxidants, significant from the aspect of health benefits for the human body.
In new world developments, growing human population and need to produce more food with limited sources, we should look beyond the present time and search for green, sustainable solutions that can benefit nature and humans. It is important to ensure continuous production of food, side by side with soil and environmental preservation, healthy food and responsibility for future generations to use resources and meet their need.
Arrigoni took its part of responsibility in the biggest transformation of new century environmentalism and offer producers new green solutions to benefit health of plants and people. The innovative solutions:
- Biorete Air Plus – anti-insect screens with high air permeability
- Prisma – shading screens with light diffusion effect
- Protecta – screens for rain control
For more information:
Arrigoni SpA
Via Monte Prato 3
22029 Uggiate Trevano (CO)
Italy
Italy
Tel.: (+39) 031803200
Fax: (+39) 031803206