The Advantages of Floating Cover for Production: Yield and Early Harvest
Floating cover is a non-woven plastic thermal fabric that is employed as an advanced method of protecting and forcing crops.
Farming is currently oriented towards an intensive use of resources. The goal is a greater yield and profit. Methods of protecting or forcing crops are ways of controlling environmental factors. In fact, thanks to more favorable conditions, crops develop better and more quickly.
Thermal cloth is designed to protect crops, especially in regions with high temperatures.
Giving total protection and providing adequate climatic conditions, floating cover is a tested and proven system to accelerate the growth of plants and the ripening of fruits.
Thermal Blanket INVERNAVELO
Frost blanketing INVERNAVELO is manufactured with UV resistant polypropylene. It allows air, water, and light to pass through. Thanks to its permeability, it improves photosynthesis. At the same time, it protects crops from extreme changes in temperature and heavy rain. Additionally, it doesn’t allow insects that can transmit disease through. It blocks birds from getting to plants. As a result, it reduces damage to soft parts of vegetables and seeds.
Floating cover INVERNAVELO has a uniform thickness and it is resistant to deterioration. It is highly resistant to tears and it acts as an efficient thermal protection system.
By using frost blanketing INVERNAVELO you get the following results:
- Less evaporation of water
- Conserve moisture
- Increase ground and air temperature
- Effectively block insects and aphids
- Protection from wind – the same effect as a wind block
Floating cover accelerates the growth of plants and allows fruits to mature more quickly.
In so far as production, vegetables and fruits are of a more uniform quality since health and sanitary conditions are improved. Consequently it isn’t necessary to apply chemical products for fungus and bacteria. All of the former contribute to getting higher quality and more ecological fruit.
Characteristics:
- Easy to install
- Low cost
- Light
- Robust and long-lasting
- Adjusts to any size
- There is no maintenance cost
- Resistant to frost, rain, hail and snow
- It doesn’t harm the environment
- Long term solution
Floating covers are micro-perforated polypropylene fabrics that create protected environments and create a greenhouse effect. They can be placed directly over plants without any special ties. They can also be easily installed over simple semicircular structures allowing a space of 10-15cm. The minimum air and ground temperature increases an average of 2 – 3 ºC.
Applications:
Protection for flowers, vegetables, plants, and trees in greenhouses and outdoors.
Higher yield, better quality and earlier harvest
When compared to outdoor crops without protection at the mercy of temperature changes, crops with thermal blanketing give a higher yield, better quality of fruit and an earlier harvest.
Tunnels covered with thermal blanketing, INVERNAVELO, were found to have better soil conditions, higher temperatures, and more appropriate moisture levels. The closed environment created by using frost blanketing establishes an optimum microclimate in respect to the exterior. The crop lets off less water, thus optimizing the use of that resource. Additionally, the crop is protected from severe weather like hail, heavy rain and wind.
Water is saved by using this technique. The produce matures more quickly and is higher quality and more esthetically pleasing. More and better fruit, displaying less damage is obtained with these frost blankets. .
Clearly, floating covering gives great results and also has the advantage of needing few man hours to install
Reduce pests and viral diseases with thermal cloth
It has been shown that by using a protective covering like INVERNAVELO, especially in the first phases of the growth of a crop, insects are deterred and there are fewer viral diseases. By acting as a physical barrier, this thermal cloth blocks out disease vectors.
Frost blanketing
In frost season, thermal blanketing conserves the crops that are most sensitive to low temperatures. At night, temperatures usually decrease substantially and vegetable crops suffer this thermal variation especially if it is for extended periods. Synthetic cloth, INVERNAVELO, is ideal for covering plants because it is light and permeable.
The Advantages of Using Floating Cover
Trial with Garlic
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In climates with high temperatures, thermal cloth protects sensitive crops.
As the data compiled in a recent study that took place in Andalusia, Spain show, floating cover maintains a higher temperature and allows for an earlier harvest. Additionally, the thermal fabric prevents damage caused by night frosts and extreme temperatures in open fields. Of course, as this study highlights, the greatest benefit of farming with this method is that fewer days are needed to complete the crop cycle.
The benefits of farming with floating cover have been tested and proven. They are: better ground and air temperatures, earlier harvest, reduction of damage by insects and aphids, and less viral disease. Thanks to all of the previously named benefits a higher yield is obtained and greater quality of produce.
Thermal cloth, especially when combined with ground cover, and a specially designed irrigation system for optimal use of water, achieves positive effects for production and yield.
In this study, the thermal cloth was put directly over garlic crops after they were planted.
This system allowed for adequate air and ground temperatures at all times. With these conditions, the plants grew more quickly and the heads matured in less time. Additionally, more foliage developed in the covered crop when compared to a control crop which grew in the open air.
An earlier harvest and more competitive produce for the market are achieved by using this cloth.
Quick and Easy Installation
Thermal cloth can be put directly over crops as was done in the early mentioned study in Andalusia. It can also be put over semicircles to create micro tunnels for forcing crops. It can be employed in shade houses or in greenhouses as well as outdoors.
Floating cover – Thermal frost blanketing INVERNAVELO – Protection from frost, insect barrier, and aphid barrier. Get better yield and an earlier harvest.