Agro textiles: A novel application
A textile fabric has a long history of application in agriculture. The word "agrotextiles" now is used to classify the woven, nonwoven and knitted fabrics applied for agricultural & horticultural uses covering livestock protection, shading, weed and insect control, and extension of the growing season. Agrotextiles help to keep sufficient soil humidity and increase the soil temperature

The textile materials mostly produce by synthetics in various decompositions, utilized in the mode of either woven or nonwovens. The fabric form is broadly utilized in the places where tensile strength and dimensional stability are measured to be compulsory for caring the plantations from natural circumstances.

The application of agro textiles will be helpful in terms of products with enhanced quality, higher production, less damages and bearable losses. It also allows us to apply less numbers of weed killers and pesticides. Alternatively, it helps the society by avoiding various hazards due to environmental pollution, etc.

The benefits of applying agrotextiles are:
.They increase crop production
.They avoid the soil from drying out
.They decrease the requirement of fertilizers, pesticides and water
.They make product quality better
.They increase the early maturing of crops and non-seasonal plants
There is various type of agrotextiles considered to train or tie up plants. Their object is
.To avoid branches from breaking
.To increase the cleanliness of the crop
.To make harvesting easy
.To give large space

HaiI protection fabrics

Hail protection fabrics supports shield vines from the fruit damage and defoliation connected with hail yet lets through adequate sunlight. The weightless netting is harsh, tear resistant, and extremely UV stabilized and processes an extra advantage of protecting vines from wind and birds. These fabrics are also applied to protect fruit, herb, and vegetable crops which are to be healthier and offer greater production when cared from the havoc of hail. The fabric provides light shading as well as safeguarding from wind and birds. These fabrics are produced by UV stabilized polyethylene mono filaments both woven and knitted form.

Structural aspects

.Diameter of monofilament: 0.25 to 0.30 mm
.Mesh width: 10 x 4 mm
.Weave: Leno
.Knitted Design: Raschel warp diamond design.

Advantages

.Hail shielding with smallest amount shading.
.Improved crop production
.Durable, tear-resistant netting.
.Greatest ultraviolet stabilization for long life.
.Extra protection from birds and wind.
.Service life: 15-20 years.

Wind control fabrics

Wind control fabrics can get fruit quality better by decreasing bruising, shoot tip scorching. Trees that are cared from wind are normally healthier, achieve complete growth more fastly, and have greatest production. Wind break fabrics safeguard crops from wind, and in particular situations, orchard temperatures can be raised by decreasing wind speed. Windbreak fabrics start obstructing wind without delay, don't harbor insects, consider less maintenance, and will not compete with crops for water and nutrients. UV stabilized fabrics offer years of wind safeguarding for crops. These fabrics are also produced by UV stabilized polyethylene mono filaments both woven and knitted form.

Advantages

.Instant wind protection.
.Less bruising, wind rub, and shoot tip scorch.
.Very useful and safety of orchard spraying.
.Unlike tree barriers, no competition for water and nutrients.
.May raise orchard temperatures by decrement of wind speed.
.Strong, long lasting fabrics.

Characteristics

.About 45 percent wind blockage.
.Protects nearly 8x windbreak height.
.UV and abrasion resistant.

Fabrics for weed safeguarding

Of all landscape maintenance programs, control or removal of weed progression is a foremost part. Weeds are not needed because of aesthetic detraction; competition for light, water, nutrients, and space; prerequisite of insect and disease habitats; and possible allelopathic growth suppression.

Nearly all landscape maintenance plans depends on hand weeding, herbicides, and mulches (alone or in combination) to suppress and manage weeds. Black plastic has traditionally been applied by majority landscapers to improve the effectiveness of organic and inorganic mulches, but many reports noted unfavorable effects on landscape plant growth because of its application.

In the last few years, a new group of synthetic materials has been established for use with mulches for landscape weed control. These geo-textiles (also describe landscape fabrics or weed barriers) have one key benefit over plastics - they allow the exchange of water and air between the soil and the atmosphere. Many reports have been observed on the weed-suppressing effects of these geo-textiles, with combination of results. While the majorities are quite effective at controlling annual weeds, managing perennial weeds is often weak. The producers suggested using a 2-3-inch layer of mulch atop the geo-textiles for aesthetic reasons, and as a consequence, numerous problems have been noted, mainly when organic mulches (pine bark, pine straw, hardwood bark, etc) are utilized.

Sunshade fabrics

The fabrics produced by polypropylene monofilament strands in both woven and knitted form are applied to provide as sun shade fabrics to improve a microclimate for plantation of flowers, ornamental plants and fruits.
Woven sunshade fabrics

It is produced by 100 percent polypropylene monofilament strands. The resin is prepared with additives and pigments to offer resistance to sunlight and weathering. Black pigmentation gives a high degree of sunlight resistance. It is UV stabilized to restrain under the most intense solar settings. It can be applied for several of uses like wind and privacy screen, shading for sports and recreation, livestock, patio, dog kennels and solar protection for plants.

Knitted sunshade fabrics

Knitted sunshade cloth is produced by 100 percent UV stabilized polyethylene. Its exclusive lock stitch structure permits customers the facility to cut the fabric with scissors without further unraveling. Knitted shade fabric is offer in several of colors and stripes. Its lightweight and durability make it a greater selection for all types of shade uses.

Uses

.It improves the condition of growth.
.Soil is not dehydrated.
.It provides savings in irrigation cost.

Insect repellent fabrics

A variety of pests like Whitefly, a number of insects harm some ornamental plants and vegetables regularly. Many viruses infect these plants. The affected leaves of the plants offer increment to the creation of black fungus due to the honey dew on the leaves left by the viruses. The creation of insect repellent fabrics has provided a way to protect the plants and vegetables. This kind of fabrics are extended from corner to corner in the open-air plantations so that the pests can no longer affected to the plants and also the climate will not be unstable in any way.

Setting up of areas cover:

.The whole walls of green-houses.
.On the roof-openings and vent openings of green-houses.

Structural aspects

.Weave: Linen
.Material: Polyethylene mono filament yarns
.Yarn Diameter: 0.25 mm
.Cloth density: 24 ppcm x 11 ppcm

Temperature control fabrics

Temperature control fabric is a nonwoven, spunbonded polyester fabric made to safeguard crops from cold, frost, insects and a range of unfavorable environmental aspects. Temperature control fabric supports in capturing heat on sunny days and keeps heat radiating from the ground at night. This helps in safeguarding precise ornamentals, nursery stock and foliage 24 hours a day.

Cold and frost control fabrics
Frost & cold protection fabric safeguards plants from frost kill in sudden late cold snaps and unseasonably early ones. Frost & cold protection fabric can be placed appropriately on the plants, unlike plastic covers that can draw attention to frost and burn any leaves that contact them. Cold safeguarding tough fabric row covers are ideal for safeguarding less developing, high value field crops from frosts, wind, cold, and birds. The woven, semi-clear fabric permits sunlight, air, and water through to the plants. The fabric can be applied unaided or over wire hoops. The covers are tough, and can survive in long run, for a lot of growing seasons.

Advantages

.Facilitate trap ground heat to warm crops.
.Permits sunlight and water through to crops.
.Prevents extreme heat build up.
.Re-applicable for many seasons

Rain protection fabrics

Rain protection fabrics safeguard the flowers and berries from harm in rainfall. The fabrics may have network like configuration to offer the purpose of saving from rain.

Conclusion

The practice of textiles is also now widen to safeguard the agro products like plants, vegetables and fruits from weather, weed and birds, etc, by method of agro textiles which has provided a novel applications to technical textiles.