Agrotech

AGRO TECH

1. 1 AGRO-TEXTILE Step Towards Sustainability ……………… INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY (UDCT) MUMBAI KANHAYA LAL KUMAWAT M.TECH. (RESEARCH STUDENT)

2. TECHNICAL TEXTILE: 2 Textile materials and products manufactured for their technical and functional purpose rather than their aesthetic or decorative characteristics. Fastest growing textile in industrial sector and account for almost 19% (10 million tones). It encompass high performance fibers, yarns, woven, knitted, nonwoven, braided and composite structures.

3. WHAT IS AGROTEXTILE ? 3 Special textiles that are manufactured for agricultural applications These textile structures are used as controlling environment for plants/animals in applications like: Agriculture Horticulture Animal husbandry Benefits Of Agro-textile Products Used in Protected Cultivation For Indian Agriculturists for improved Productivity & Quality Of Produce and lower Cost Of Production

4. CLASSIFICATION OF AGROTECH 4 Arable Farming : Arable farming is growing crops in fields, which have usually been ploughed before planting Horticulture : To protect the expensive fruits from bird attack, trees are covered with nets Animal husbandry : Basically used in milk industry, and poultry industry General application : Include clothing, mud control, water hoses, wind screens

5. FIBRES USED IN AGROTECH : 5 There is use of synthetics as well as natural fibers in agro-textiles. Fibres used in are as follows : Nylon Polyester Polyethylene Polypropylene Jute

6. NEED OF AGRO TEXTILES : 6 They prevent the soil from drying out and increase crop yield. They improve product quality. Agro textiles protects farmer from harmful pesticides. Thermal protection textiles are treated with ultraviolet ray stabilizers which prevent plats from damage. The best known products are shed netting and thermal screens, Their use prevents sun drying of seeds during sowing and germination of plant. Materials for ground and plant water management at the time of scarcity and abundance of water.

7. PROPERTIES: 7 Resistance to micro-organisms: Agro textile should be resist the impact caused by the microorganism. Withstands solar radiation: Laid over the cultivated areas immediately after sowing or planting. Withstands ultraviolet radiation : These are special types of carbon black which convert the UV radiation into thermal radiation. Good potential to reduce the impact of UV radiation on plants by light-absorbing or light-reflecting nonwovens. High potential to retain water : This is achieved by means of fibre materials which allow taking in much water and by filling in super-absorbers. Protection property : Protection from wind and the creation of a micro-climate between the ground and the nonwovens, which results in temperature and humidity being balanced out.

8. PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE: 8 Woven: Woven products are produced using Sulzer projectile weaving machines. The machines with weaving width of 540cm to 846cm are available for the production of agro textiles .The nets with a mesh width of 1.8mm to 40mm. Knitting: Warp knitting technique is most widely used compare than the weft knitting. Warp knitted protective nets are used indifferent sectors, which are produced on Rachel Machine. Nonwoven: Needle-punched nonwovens, Stitch-bonded nonwovens, Thermally bonded nonwovens ,Hydro entangled nonwovens ,Spun bonded nonwovens. Needle punched fabric plant bags provide advantages over conventional fired clay pots.

9. APPLICATIONS: 9 Sun screening (shade cloth) Frost Covering Harvesting Wind protection Landscape covering Bird protection Insect protection Turf protection Irrigation Drainage Aquaculture Insulation Horticulture Animal Husbandry

10. AGRO SHADE CLOTHS Shade cloth/Shade Netting These are sunscreens and provide necessary protection to the plants against: Excessive heat, Burning of the crops due to direct sunshine and UV damage. Examples : Knitted or woven polyethylene and polyolefins fabrics. Should not rot or become brittle & should avoid mildew formation 10 10

11. FROST COVERING Adverse Effects of Frost: Frost can kill the seeds and adversely affect the ariel portion of the plant. Frost makes the plant loose its moisture and dry out . Frost Covering: Minimizes moisture and heat loss. Keeps the plant warm and healthy. Nonwoven fabrics are preferred for Frost Covers : Lightweight, breathable and those which dry quickly are used. These fabrics should provide open spaces for crop treatments . Examples : Nonwoven spun bonded mesh fabric and nonwoven UV resistant polypropylene fleece . 11 11

12. HARVESTING AIDES: Harvesting nets are used to collect the fruits falling from a tree. This helps to keep the cost of cultivation low by eliminating additional labor associated with harvesting. Harvesting nets are predominantly grip structures which can be developed using warp knitting technology. 12 12

13. WINDSHIELDS: Windshields are used to protect the crops from high velocity wind damage These can also be used to control the temperature by hindering cooling due to the wind These are installed perpendicular to the direction of the wind to reduce the wind speed These Prevent : Breaking of branches, Early falling of the fruits and Damage to the leaves and flowers . Examples : Woven and knitted UV stabilized windshields using high density polyethylene monofilaments . 13 13

14. LANDSCAPE COVERS; These are used for weed control and prevent penetration of thin roots of weeds. In addition they also maintain optimal soil temperatures for rapid plant growth. Examples : Biodegradable needle punched nonwovens and coated fabrics 14 14

15. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 15 The animal husbandry is another important application where the textile is used for animal related application which is indirectly related with the field. In this application there is use of agro textiles for 3 main areas Identification belts of polyester and nylon material for animals identification. Filtering of milk in an automatic milking system. Underlay to reduce the mud on cattle paths and trails.

16. AQUACULTURE 16 Shade for fish tanks, Protection from birds, Fabric for sifting and separation at various larvae growth stages, fish hatcheries… Filtering the water in fish tanks, dietary algae.

17. PARTICULARS OF AGROTEXTILE PRODUCTS 17

18. RECENT INNOVATIVE WORK: 18 Kolata E. et al applied synthetic mulches and flat covers with perforated foil and agro-textile in zucchini plant for growth purpose The highest total fruit yield was obtained in cultivation on PP agro-textile mulch with a perforated foil used as cover the plants Fruits of 8-15 cm length accumulated the most considerable quantities of vitamin C, as well as phosphorus and potassium, while in fruits > 22 cm long was highest amount of nitrates and carotenes

19. 19 Similar type of worked on Kohlrabi plant is done. Kohlrabi is a fast growing, cool season vegetable cultivated primarily for its enlarged stem, which is rich in nutritional components, especially vitamin C and potassium Biesiada A. studied the effect of flat covers and plant density on yielding and quality of Kohlrabi They found that application of flat covers with perforated PE film and non-woven polypropylene agro-textile provided significantly higher yield of Kohlrabi

20. EFFECT OF BIODEGRADABLE AND POLYETHYLENE MULCHES 20 Vegetable growers have employed plastic films for mulching to reduce the growth of weeds, soil erosion from wind or water, leaching of fertilizers, especially on light, sandy soils, and the development of plant diseases coming from the soil Avoids the fluctuations in temperature in the first 20–30 cm depth in soils The LLDPE, especially black PE, is used due to easy processing, excellent chemical resistance, high durability, flexibility and odorless Problem:- handling the plastic wastes and the environmental impact

21. 21 Alternative to disposal of plastic mulches is use of films produced with biodegradable polymers or biopolymers (polymers formed from renewable resources), composed of polysaccharides such as cellulose and starch Starch films, mainly from corn, potato and rice crops, possess low permeability and are mineralized into harmless products (carbon dioxide and methane, water and biomass) Moreno M. M. et al study demonstrates that the use of biodegradable plastic materials for mulching may be an alternative to the polyethylene films, because BD mulches fulfill successfully all the functions of the traditional plastic mulches. These biodegradable materials did not decrease yields and fruit quality attributes in crops Biodegradable films warm soils less than polyethylene mulches, advantage over high temperature affect on crop condition

22. AGROTECH [2007-08] & [2012-13] PRODUCTION IMPORTS 22

23. CONCLUSION The wide end use application are motivation for the potential uses and advantages of greater efficiency using resources of land, water and labour, higher and consistent quality and higher yield of products including environmental protection of health community . Agro textiles preciously is a stepping stone in progress of human kind since it influences productivity ,economics, and advance techniques for the better future. 23

24. REFERENCE: 24 Kołota , E.,  Adamczewska-Sowińska K., Acta Scientiarum Polonorum , Hortorum Cultus , 10 (4),179-189,2011 Moreno, M.M., Moreno, A., Scientia Horticulturae , 116(3), 256-263,2008 Biesiada A., Journal of Elementol , 13 (2), 167-173,2008