Agrotextiles

by
Dr. Mahuya Ghosh
 Agrotextiles
• Two main functions of agrotextiles:
• -Increase agricultural productivity
• -Protection of plants, ground and pet animals from various
hazards.

• Application areas:
-Production of different crops
-horticulture & floriculture
-Aquaculture (fish farming & capture)
-agro-engineering applications
-soil conservation through soil erosion control measures.
 Required Properties of Agrotextiles
(Handbook for Agrotextiles, Ministry of Textiles, India2013)

 Weather resistant
 Resistant to micro-organisms to a reasonable extent depending on end use
 Light-weight
 Resistant to solar radiation
 Resistant to ultraviolet radiation
 Long service life (end-use specific)
 Biodegradability
 Water holding capacity
 Stable construction
 Moderate to high Tensile strength
 Abrasion resistant
 Protection properties
 Different fibers used for Agrotextiles
• Natural fibres: Jute, Cotton, Coir, Wool, Sisal,
Hemp
• Man-made fibres: Viscose, LDPE, HDPE,
Polypropylene, Polyethylene mono filament &
multi filament, Polyester, Nylon mono filament
& multi filament, UHMPE (Ultra high molecular
weight polyethylene)
• Blends: jute-coir blend, Cotton-polyester blend
Classification of agrotextile products as per fabric type
Different types of agrotextile fabrics with fibre type
Mulch mats/ Mulching films/ Ground Covers

• Functions:
– Increase crop yield and improve its quality
– Control or resist weed’s growth
– Reduce use of chemical pesticides
– Reduce volume of water irrigation –most
beneficial for semi-arid and arid region agriculture
– Maintains soil moisture
– Increase soil temperature
 Mulch mats/ Mulching films/ Ground Covers
• Raw materials: Generally, LDPE and natural fibres. Recently, PLA, PHA.

• Synthetic/ man-made polymer/fibre-based products:

-Advantages: long-term sustainability to weather, resistant to microorganisms,
light weight and low cost.
-Disadvantages:
– waste disposal problems- high recycling cost –hence either landfilled or incinerated.
– Plastic residue deteriorates soil & decreases its fertility.
– Bioplastics & biodegradable plastics – still under research- high cost- effect of long-
term accumulation after biodegradation on soil, atmosphere & aquatic environment
are still under research.

• Natural fibre-based products:

-Advantages: good mechanical properties, high moisture absorption & retention
capability, renewable resources, eco-friendly – no disposal hazards & add
nutrients to the soil after biodegradation , so acts as ‘green fertilizer’.
-Disadvantages: heavier & costlier than synthetic products – hence antimicrobial
chemical treatment, microencapsulation treatment done.
 Shade Fabrics / Nets
• Shade net is one of the useful technologies to increase agricultural productivity of land.
• Shade nets (SNs) are specially designed grid-like textile fabrics and a kind of ‘agrotextile’
which are exclusively employed to protect plants in fields and greenhouses from intense
solar radiation for healthy plant growth and good harvest. SNs attenuate solar irradiance by
shading, thereby reducing temperature. It also prevents damage to the plants from wind,
hail and heavy rain, and increase humidity by restricting air movement and thus evaporation
of soil moisture. Simultaneously, these fabrics being reasonably air-permeable do not allow
excess heat built-up inside, thus creating appropriate micro-climate surrounding the plants.
Under this optimum condition, photosynthesis is enhanced and extremes of air and soil
temperature are reduced and moderated. Plant leaf temperatures are lowered to the
surrounding air temperature which accounts for the improved productivity of plant.
• These are used in horticulture, floriculture, greenhouses, nurseries, sericulture, etc.
Employing SNs one can avail at:
• Provide constant climatic condition - cultivation of vegetables in all seasons
• Reduce effect of environmental stresses, e.g. temperature, wind
• production of international standard high quality fruits
• Agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions –Irrigation costs can be reduced.
• Commercially available SNs are made of synthetic fibres, e.g., polypropylene (PP) or high
density polyethylene (HDPE) in knitted or woven form having different shade percentages
from 25 % to 95 %.
 Photo-selective Shade Nets
Photo-selective shade nets are used for protection of plants from environmental
stresses by sunlight, moisture and air management. By controlling the micro-climate
surrounding the plants, better productivity can be achieved.
They are designed to selectively screen various components of solar radiation (UV,
PAR and beyond) and/ or transform direct light into scattered light.
Scattering improves light penetration into inner canopy of plants. Hence, ‘radiation
use efficiency’ increases when diffuse light is enhanced under shade.
Various chromatic additives, light dispersive and reflective elements are introduced
into the netting elements.
Spectral manipulation by shade nets augments desired physiological responses of
plants.
Although shade nets holes allow free passage of small pests, rates of pest
infestations and vector-borne viral diseases were affected by color and reflectivity of
nets. Ex.: Incidence of aphid-borne cucumber mosaic virus disease found to be
significantly lower under Pearl (10 folds) and Yellow nets (3 folds) compared to Black
nets.
Two types: Colored-color nets and Neutral-color nets
Jute can be used for such application.
 Specifications of Shade Nets
(Manufacturer: M/s Garware Fibres Ltd.)
 Shade factor: 35 – 75 %
 Areal density : 90 - 300 g/m2
 Width: Without joint up to 6.2 m
 Length: As per customer’s requirement
 Colour : White, Green, Blue, Yellow, Red, Black & as per
customer’s requirement
 Treatment: UV-stabilized
 Fishing Nets
Made of : Nylon 6/PE/ HDPE/ UHMWPE twines

Knotted / Braided structure

Uniformity & dimensional stability

High tensile strength

High knot breaking strength

High abrasion resistance

Low drag resistance – leads to fuel saving & better speed of boats

 transparent/ invisible in water

Fishing nets constitutes 85 % of the agrotextiles in India

Mesh size: 10 mm -2000 mm

 Some typical specifications of fishing nets
Mesh Size in mm
Twine Size (mm) Twine Size (Ply)
From Upto
0.50 2×3 Ply 12 200
0.75 3×3 Ply 14 200
0.85 4×3 Ply 16 400
1.00 5×3 Ply 16 500
1.25 6×3 Ply 18 3000
1.50 8×3 Ply 20 3000
1.60 9×3 Ply 25 3000
1.75 10×3 Ply 25 3000
2.00 12×3 Ply 25 3000
2.10 15×3 Ply 25 3000
2.25 18×3 Ply 25 3000
2.50 21×3 Ply 26 3000
2.75 24×3 Ply 60 3000
3.00 39×3 Ply 60 3000
 Durable and
High co- good
raw material for Technical
efficient of dimensional
Favourable Properties as

friction stability
Textile applications

Good
moisture
absorption
Good thermal,
sound and
electrical Why
insulation
properties Jute Agro based,
eco-friendly,
biodegradabl
e fibre
Moderately Cost effective
high strength and
& modulus abundantly
with low available
extensibility fibre
Favourable Properties of Jute Agrotextiles (JAT)
 High water absorbing and holding capacity as compared to synthetic
materials
 Jute coalesces with soil after biodegradation and increases soil’s
permeability enhancing its nutrient level
 Creates congenial microclimate (soil temperature and moisture) for
growth of saplings and plants
 Fosters faster growth of vegetation even in arid and semi-arid zones
 Suppress weed-growth effectively without use of chemical (harmful)
biocides
 Jute sleeves are porous, ensure better air and water circulation and
can be directly transplanted within the soil without disposing off
 Packed agro products remain fresh
 Soil Nursery
conservation seed bed
Different Applications of JAT
& Reduction cover &
of nutrient Shade nets
loss Weed
management
&
agromulching
Afforestation
in arid &
semi-arid
regions JAT Sleeves/bags
for growth of
sapling

Baler Twines Plant

Transplantation
 JAT for Weed Management

Emergence of weeds in tea plantation Suppression of weeds in tea plantation

Emergence of weeds in Suppression of weeds in

pineapple cultivation pineapple cultivation
 Jute Sapling Bag/ Sleeve for Nursery Use
 Sapling bags/ sleeves are designed to foster plant saplings in horticulture, forestry and agro-
forestry nurseries as well as permit their efficient transport to fields.
 Generally, Polythene sleeves/ bags are used in nurseries, However, these bags have several
serious drawbacks:
 Cause damage to seedling health, e.g., ‘root coiling’, poor ventilation, extremely hot/cold
inside temperate, restricted water drainage through punched holes, etc.
Sapling mortality rate higher
During transplantation, ample chance of damaging the root network of sapling
Disposal problem – Not eco-compatible/ environment-friendly
 Advantages of Jute Sapling Bags:
jute is natural and hence biodegradable environment friendly
hygroscopic fibre – holds enough water & need not to be watered frequently-ideal for arid
and semi-arid regions
Porous structure – Very good for air circulation and water drainage – create healthier micro-
climate for proper growth of root network – no excessive heat generation inside jute bags due
to proper air circulation and thermal property of jute - No water logging condition arise.
 Being porous roots can easily come out of the structure without causing ‘root coiling’.
No need to throw out during transplantation – no disposal problem.
Add nutrients to the soil on biodegradation – acts as green fertilizer.
 Drawbacks of Jute Sapling Bags : Higher price than Polybags & heavier.
 Jute Sapling Bags can be either Woven or Braided or Nonwoven.
Jute Woven Sapling Bag

Woven Sapling Bag –for raising saplings in

horticulture nurseries
 Jute Braided Sapling Bag (developed by IJIRA)
for nursery use
 Tri-axial circular braiding technology is simple single stage process and no preparatory
processes for yarn before braiding as those required for weaving, e.g., warping, sizing,
beaming, preparation of pirns/ cops, etc.
Produces tubular fabric or sleeve directly from yarns/tapes having some extra cover and
reinforcement along the sleeve axis than braided sleeve without axial material.
Side-stitching is not required for circular braided product,
 Capable of handling wide range of raw materials, viz., yarns/ tapes/ roves/ wires
Lower production cost as lesser number of machinery involved.

Uniqueness of the Jute Braided Sapling Bag developed:

 A tri-axially braided sleeve which is an axial assemblage of several ‘jute tapes’ bound in
position by minimum of number of braiding yarns.
 ‘Jute tapes’ impart main body of the fabric and hence play the central role instead of
braiding yarns. These tapes are used as ‘axial materials’ during braiding to provide low mass
and high fabric cover to the braided product.
 ‘Jute tape’ was prepared from very light weight jute slivers from medium or lower batch
quality - tapes made as thin and as wide as possible while exhibiting a strength that was
sufficient to withstand the strains of braiding.
 Spinning cost is saved for preparation of the jute tapes.
 Jute tapes were prepared utilizing existing jute/textile machinery and adopting simple
processes.
The tri-axial jute braiding machine Jute Braided Sleeve composed of
developed by IJIRA 24 jute tapes and 48 x 2 jute yarns
 Jute Braided Sapling Bag (developed by IJIRA)
for nursery use

Jute Braided Planted jute

Braided Jute sleeve
braided
(24 jute axial tapes & Sapling Bag sapling bag
96 jute braiding yarns ) (Mass: approx. 40 g)
 Conclusions from Actual Field Trials employing Jute Braided
Sapling Bags and Polybags
-Biodegraded jute bag enhances soil-nutrient level by enriching soil considerably
with organic carbon, phosphorus and potassium.

-Jute braided sapling bag allows healthy root network growth and unrestricted
emergence of roots through its openings.

-Growth of sunflower seedlings with respect to Stem Base Diameter and Stem
Height are similar or comparable in both type of sapling bags.

-Performance of jute braided bag is far better than polybags in respect of soil loss.
Fiber hairs protruding out from jute fabric surface cover pores of the fabric itself to
certain extent. This would help in resisting soil particle loss during rearing period in
nursery and transportation from the jute sapling bags.

 Jute braided sapling bag can advantageously replace synthetic eco-hazardous

Polybags. To compare costing of the two products, suitable scaling up of the
production process of the jute braided sapling bag is essential and ecological costs
 Jute-based Root Trainers (developed by IJIRA)

Agrotextile product for horticultural applications- Composed of

Jute Nonwoven and Natural Binder

Jute based Root Trainers Jute Nonwoven Sapling Bag

Different sizes of root trainers viz. 350cc, 500cc and 700cc capacity
have been developed using modified starch as binder
 Application of Jute Twines as JAT

Application of Jute twines

in Cultivation
Plant Jute Nets for Afforestation
Use of JAT in Fully Grown Plant Transplantation