Scientists have developed the best protective mesh for crops

The common practice of protecting crops with the use of netting may have a little revolution as new material has been developed. Despite their protection against even the smallest insects, it does not block significant amounts of sunlight, air or rainfall.

Scientists have developed an extremely effective net to protect crops from pests

The problem of using special protective nets for crops is now “a question of balance” as farmers are faced with the choice of higher protection or better conditions for the plants. These two features do not go hand in hand, so scientists at North Carolina State University have developed their new material in the form of a “plant armor”, which consists of three layers of knitted fabric.

Between the layers of transparent plastic yarn there is a knitted layer perpendicular to the fibers of the other two layers. As a result, even if the insects are small enough to pass through the surface of the material, its internal maze-like structure will make it very difficult for them to pass through.

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In the tests, the thrips got through this new material in 3 hours, while in the normal case this time was only 12 minutes. On the other hand, the untreated caterpillars did not manage to overcome this “maze” for even 10 days, and when it comes to the effectiveness of crops, the use of this net resulted in a 3-fold increase in the weight and size of the cabbage. All because this reusable material has adequate slots for water, light and air to pass through them.