Agralia is a Spanish agro-textile company that has been dedicated to crop protection for more than 40 years. The constant search for solutions to the farmers' needs has led to the development of new cutting-edge products such as Agrifresh, Agralia's patented aluminum shading net.
Agralia's technology has allowed adding additives with aluminum directly to the fabric during the manufacturing process. Aluminum microparticles block infrared radiation and lower the temperature more than other shading meshes.
There is a wide range of shade nets on the market: black, white, green, gray, but only Agrifresh contains aluminum within the fabric. Furthermore, colored meshes absorb a part of the radiation causing a decrease in photosynthetically active radiation and an increase in the temperature of the mesh (and therefore in the internal temperature of the greenhouse).
The Aimplas laboratory in Valencia, a European benchmark for plastic, analyzed a 50% black shading mesh sample and an Agrifresh RR50 sample. They tested the ability of both fabrics to block infrared radiation, according to the UNE-EN 13206 standard. The results have shown that Agrifresh manages to block 66% of the infrared radiation while the black mesh only blocked 30%.
The black shade mesh had a thermicity of 50%.
Agrifresh RR50's thermicity.
In addition, the light that passes through the tissue is distributed more evenly around the plant, even in the lower parts that normally receive less radiation. Diffused light allows for higher net photosynthesis that transforms into higher production and profitability.
"Agrifresh is perfect to protect vegetables destined for the fresh-cut range, berries, and all the crops that need protection from excess radiation and temperature in summer. It can be manufactured with different percentages of shade and it can be used externally or internally in greenhouses, or directly as a shade house," according to Agralia. "In summary, Agrifresh creates the best microclimatic conditions for the development of plants thanks to the aluminum it's embedded with, which reflects the infrared radiation and diffuses light decreasing the temperature while increasing photosynthetically active radiation."
For more information:
Agralia España
Plaza Urquinaona, 6
08010 Barcelona
+34 935 113 167
info@agraliagroup.com
www.agraliagroup.com