Nets and fabrics manufacturer Arrigoni has launched Agritela Lux, a reflective mulching fabric designed to improve the colouring of fruits, making it more homogeneous
“At Arrigoni, the search for innovative solutions for crops such as apple and pomegranate is a priority and, today, we can guarantee a particularly wide range, capable of meeting the needs of different areas and climatic zones,” explained Milena Poledica, an agronomist from Arrigoni.
Agritela Lux by Arrigoni provides the best results with clones and varieties that have difficulty in developing colours, such as apple and pomegranate, because they are grown under anti-hail nets or in areas with a low-temperature range between day and night.
The secret lies in the special additives that make up these groundcovers, stabilised to UV rays and capable of reflecting more than 70% of the photosynthetically active sunlight providing more light in the lower and inner parts of the canopy of the plant. As for apples, this translates into the better colouring of varieties such as Galaxy, Kanzi, Pink Lady, Pinova, Gala Schniga and 25% more marketable fruit, as demonstrated by field tests conducted by Arrigoni.
The fabric is UV stabilised, easy to install and can be used season after season.
Strong lateral reinforcements and the high-quality material that makes up Agritela Lux allow the installation of the fabric with hooks and clips for perfect laying on the ground. In addition, this groundcover withstands the passage of machines. Pomegranate can also benefit from the use of Agritela Lux.
To obtain a double advantage – greater protection from weeds, keeping the benefits given by the reflection of sunlight – Arrigoni proposes ‘Agritela Black and White’, that is a two-tone mulching fabric, white on the surface and black on the side in contact with the ground. The main effect of the black-white combination is to make it possible, at the same time, to increase the protection against weeds (black side) and to maintain the supply of additional light to the plants (white side), for better fruit colouring and higher nutritional content.
In addition to the action of Agritela Lux, Arrigoni also offers effective protection against hail for apple trees thanks to Fructus, a range of monofilament nets.
Colour is a very important parameter when choosing nets. Depending on the variety and the geographical area of cultivation, the right percentage of shade must be used. In regions where there is not enough sunshine and for crops requiring a high percentage of sunshine, transparent nets are recommended; on the contrary, in sunny locations and on less vigorous orchards, the black net is better suited to ensure a better shading factor and to reduce burn damage.
For pomegranate, on the other hand, after detailed research on nets of different colours and different shading factors in relation to how they modify the environment (humidity, temperature, quality of light), the Arrigoni Research Department proposes Robuxta LDF White thermo-reflective screen: the ideal solution between the required shade and the conditions necessary for colouring and maturation.
Several advantages can be derived from this choice:
•The white colour of the screen reflects part of the sun’s rays, responsible for sunburn.
•The additive in the screen diffuses the light evenly and stimulates the process of ripening and colouring.
• The temperature under the screen is reduced to the full benefit of the plant.
