The effect of ageing on the tensile properties of greenhouses nets

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 4, 210 - 217

Ines Tucman , Ana Pilipović

https://doi.org/10.26701/ems.1515141

Abstract

Providing good protection for cultivated plants against weather conditions like hail, frost, and wind, as well as from animals like birds, insects, and wild boars, is important for enhancing plant growth and improving both production and quality. For this reason, plants are grown in covering systems (greenhouses) where covering materials play a major role. This paper analyses the effect of ageing on tensile properties of nets and the advantages of using nets as a covering part in greenhouses and explores their positive impact on plant protection and growth. The nets that were tested are made from different polymer materials, mostly polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The result shows that in the case of PP net (PA105N) and HDPE wind protection net (ZO95) the tensile strength decreases by 28% - 35% respectively after ageing. The elongation in most cases increases even up to 70% (net 70%). Additionally, there is a noticeable change in the shape of the nets after exposure to the atmospheric environment.

Keywords

ageing, nets, greenhouse, polymer materials, tensile properties

Project Number

1

References

• Wang, L., Xu, M., Zhang, Y., & Wang, B. (2024). Benefit-prioritized greenhouse environment dual-time domain multi-layered closed-loop control strategy. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 225, 109284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2024.109284
• Ding, D. (2024). Design strategies of passive solar greenhouses: A bibliometric and systematic review. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 15(5), 102680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2024.102680
• Scarascia-Mugnozza, G., Sica, C., & Russo, G. (2012). Plastic materials in European agriculture: Actual use and perspectives. Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 42(3), 15. https://doi.org/10.4081/jae.2011.3.15
• Vuković, M., Jurić, S., Maslov Bandić, L., Levaj, B., Fu, D.-Q., & Jemrić, T. (2022). Sustainable food production: Innovative netting concepts and their mode of action on fruit crops. Sustainability, 14(15), 9264. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159264
• Teitel, M., Gahali, Y., Barak, M., Lemcoff, H., Antler, A., Wenger, E., Amir, R., Gantz, S., & Harhel, D. (2012). The effect of shading nets on greenhouse microclimate. Acta Horticulturae, 952, 731-738. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.952.92
• Castronuovo, D., Statuto, D., Muro, N., Picuno, P., & Candido, V. (2017). The use of shading nets for the greenhouse cultivation of sweet pepper in the Mediterranean area. Acta Horticulturae, 1170. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1170.46
• Statuto, D., Picuno, P., & Abdel-Ghany, A. M. (2019). Shading methods for crops protection under greenhouse in Mediterranean areas. In 47th Symposium Actual Tasks on Agricultural Engineering (pp. 297-306). Opatija, Croatia.
• Al-Helal, I. M., & Abdel-Ghany, A. M. (2010). Responses of plastic shading nets to global and diffuse PAR transfer: Optical properties and evaluation. NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 57(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.njas.2010.02.002
• Briassoulis, D., Mistriotis, A., & Eleftherakis, D. (2007). Mechanical behaviour and properties of agricultural nets - Part I: Testing methods for agricultural nets. Polymer Testing, 26, 822–832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2007.05.007
• Castellano, S., Scarascia-Mugnozza, G., Russo, G., Briassoulis, D., Mistriotis, A., Hemming, S., & Waaijenberg, D. (2008). Plastic nets in agriculture: A general review of types and applications. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 24(6), 799–808. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.25368
• Castellano, S., Scarascia-Mugnozza, G., Russo, G., Briassoulis, D., Mistriotis, A., Hemming, S., & Waaijenberg, D. (2008). Design and use criteria of netting systems for agricultural production in Italy. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 3, 31-42. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.25368
• Giannoulis, A., Briassoulis, D., Papardaki, N. G., & Mistriotis, A. (2021). Evaluation of insect-proof agricultural nets with enhanced functionality. Biosystems Engineering, 208, 98-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2021.05.012
• Maraveas, C. (2020). The sustainability of plastic nets in agriculture. Sustainability, 12(9), 3625. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093625