“Determination to stop hail damage grows netting business”
Wild weather events that can damage crops, such as the hail storms that hit Victorian and South Australian fruit growers last year, highlight the importance of protecting fruit trees with netting…
“Drape Net a viable option for orchard protection”
An Australian product for tree fruit crop protection is making inroads to North America. Drape Net is a system for literally draping trees with netting that – similar to more expensive netting systems built into trellis systems – protects the trees and fruit from hail, birds, pests and sun damage…
With three years of use in local apple and pear orchards throughout New Zealand’s major growing regions, Drape Net® is showing benefits to growers’ returns. The black Drape Net has a 25% shading factor due to the black impregnated polymer pigment, reducing the impact of sunlight on the apple skin, says industry consultant Bruce Gemmell…
Universities in several states are examining the potential for drape netting to improve the quality of high-value apple varieties, in a cooperative effort intended to ultimately boost returns for growers…
Some growers in the Southern Cape are using nets that can easily be draped over tree rows to protect pome fruit against sunburn. Apart from their convenience and flexibility, the new nets cost a fraction of fixed net structures. Daan Brink of Two-a-Day and Ebbie Raubenheimer of Nulandis spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the technology, which was developed in Australia….
