A study carried out by the Operational Group Optimisation about fertigation in apricot and early flat peach under agricultural netting with Controlled Deficit Irrigation (CDI) in the Ricote Valley, in Murcia revealed that the combination of anti-hail netting and CDI allows production objectives to be achieved easier, reducing water resources used.
“Water resources available to farmers are much lower than the crops’ water needs. They are then forced to irrigate below them, resulting in deficit irrigation, which can negatively affect the quantity and quality of the fruit.”
The use of anti-hail netting generates a microclimate underneath. It is widely known that the reduction in wind speed is the main climatic variable helping a reduction of crop evapotranspiration. Thanks to that phenomenon, there is a greater availability of water in the soil, reducing the irrigation inputs necessary to meet water needs and inducing less stress in the plant.
The use of deficit irrigation strategies in early stone fruit trees, grown under hail netting, allows significant water savings of up to 39% while maintaining yield levels and crop quality.
It increases the profitability of these farms and improves sustainability in the medium and long term, until:
- The risk of production reduction or variability with CDI is mitigated.
- The risk of hail damage is reduced.
- This controlled use of water reduces the implicit costs of excess unproductive vigour in fruit trees.
The use of anti-hail netting improves the installations’ stability and mechanical resistance, avoids damage to the plants by hail or hailstone and reduces the irrigation needs. They also provide other benefits to the crop such as protection against heavy rainfall, high temperatures, excessive heat stress and winds (burning of fruit, branching, falling of flowers and fruit, breaking of branches, etc.); birds and bats and prevents cross-pollination.
Our anti-hail netting is made of “twill” weaving, available in clear, black, grey, red and white colors.
