INTRODUCTION:

Agriculture, forestry, horticulture, floriculture, fishing segments, landscape gardening, animal

husbandry, aquaculture & agro-engineering all these sectors combined together are popularly called
as Agro-tech sector. Agro textiles are the application of textile materials in those sectors. It is a very
much important segment of Technical Textile. The word "AGRO- TEXTILES" is now used to
classify the woven, non-woven and knitted fabrics, applied for Agro-tech sector including livestock
protection, shading, weed and insect control and extension of the growing season. With the
continuous increase in population worldwide, stress on agricultural crops has increased. So it is
necessary to increase the yield and quality of agro-products. But it is not possible to meet fully with
the traditionally adopted ways of using pesticides and herbicides. Today, agriculture and horticulture
has realized the need of tomorrow and opting for various technologies to get higher overall yield,
quality and tasty agro-products.

HISTORY OF AGRO-TEXTILE:

Agriculture is the backbone of our country. Now it is saying that textile can be the backbone of
agriculture. Textile fabrics have a long history of use in agro-tech sectors to protect, gather and store
products. Between the 18th century and the end of the 19th century, agricultural development was
occurred, which saw a massive and rapid increase in agricultural productivity and vast improvements
in farm technology. From then, Textiles have always been used extensively in the course of food
production, most notably by the fishing industry in the form of nets, ropes and lines but also by
agriculture and horticulture for a variety of covering, protection and containment applications.

However, modern textile materials are also opening up new applications. Lightweight Spun bonded
fleeces are now used for shading, thermal insulation and weed suppression. Heavier non-woven,
knitted and woven constructions are employed for wind and hail protection. Fibrillated and extruded
nets are replacing traditional baler twine for wrapping modern circular bales. Capillary non-woven
matting is used in horticulture to distribute moisture to growing plants. Seeds themselves can be
incorporated into such matting along with any necessary nutrients and pesticides.

The bulk storage and transport of fertilizers and agricultural products is increasingly Undertaken using
woven polypropylene FIBCs (flexible intermediate bulk containers – big bags) in place of jute, paper
or plastic sacks. Today, modern textile materials and constructions have helped to increase the
strength, lightness and durability of traditional products, as well as open up completely new markets.

FIBRE USED FOR AGRO TEXTILE:

Manmade (synthetic) fibres are preferred for agricultural product than the natural fibres due to their
high strength, durability and other suitable properties of agricultural applications. On the other hand
natural fibre based agro-textiles not only serve the specific purpose but also after some year degrade
and act as natural fertilizers. Fibres used in agro-tech sectors are as follows:

 Nylon,
 Polyester
 Polyethylene
 Polyolefin
 Polypropylene

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  Jute
 Wool
 Coir
 Sisal
 Flax
 Hemp
Though manmade fibres (like poly-olefins) are preferred for agro-textiles than the natural fibres
mainly due to their favourable price performance ratio, light weight with high strength and long
service life, but natural fibres can be used in agro-textiles in some specific area where characteristics
like high moisture retention, wet strength, biodegradability are effectively exploited.

PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR AGRO TEXTILE:

 Tensile Strength: The tensile strength of shade nets can be a deciding factor of its long term
durability and service life. Hence good tensile strength is necessary parameter for shade nets.
 Withstands solar radiation: Agro textiles are laid over the cultivated areas immediately
after sowing or planting. For such application Agro-textiles has to withstand solar radiation
with varying surrounding temperature.
 Withstands ultraviolet radiation: The Non visible radiations include ultraviolet radiations
(UV) radiation leads to degradation of molecular chains. No single material is resistant to all
radiations .polypropylene and polyester are more resistant to UV radiations when used as an
outdoor material.
 Bio degradability: Natural fibres like wool, jute, cotton are also used where the bio-
degradability of product is essential. Natural polymer gives the advantage of bio-degradation
but has low service life when compared to the synthetics.
 Abrasion Resistance: The abrasion to which a shade net is subjected may be of the material
itself (material to material) or stray animals .abrasion of the shade net would result in holes
though which animals and pests could enter the structure and harm the crops .good abrasion
resistance is required of shade nets.
 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. While non-woven meant for the
covering of plants show a mass per unit area of 15 to 60 gm./m2, values between 100 and 500
g/m2 are reached with materials for use on embankments and slopes.
 Protection property: It must have the properties of protection from wind and creation of a
micro‐climate between the ground and the non-woven, which results in temperature and
humidity being balanced out.
 Resistance to microorganisms: It must resistant to microorganism to protect the living
being.
 Stable construction: The construction must be such that it must be stable for any application.
 Lightweight: The weight of the fabric should be such that it will bear by the plant.

ADVANTAGES OF TEXTILE USED IN AGGRICULTURE:

 Increase Crop Production.

 Avoid The Soil From Drying Out.
 Decrease The Requirement Of Fertilizers, Pesticides And Water.
 They Make Product Quality Better.
 Increase The Early Maturing Of Crops And Non‐Seasonal Plants.
 Protects from climatic changes and its effect.

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MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF AGRO-TEXTILE:

Several techniques of fabric production can be used to produce agro-textiles. Each method offers
specific advantages for particular product. The techniques are:

Weaving and woven products:

Woven products are manufactured by using weaving machines especially Sulzer projectile weaving
machines. The range of light to heavy and wide width fabric production is possible with Sulzer
projectile weaving machine. The machines with weaving width of 540 cm to 846 cm are available for
the production of agro-textiles. The nets with a mesh width of 1.8 mm to 40 mm can be produced.
Other methods of fabric manufacturing such as air-jet and rapier weaving machines are not preferred
for the manufacture of such fabrics as they do not have required weaving width.

Knitting:
Warp knitting technique is most widely used in comparison to weft knitting. Warp knitted protective
nets are used in different sectors, which are produced on Rachel machines. Agro nets are produced in
various constructions or lapping. Here, the construction or lapping is a way in which individual yarn
systems are converted into fabrics.

Non-woven:
There are many techniques to produce non-woven fabrics. They are- spun bonding, Needle punch,
Thermal bonding, Spun lacing etc. Spun bonding and needle punch techniques are mainly used for the
production of non-woven agro-textiles. The spun bonded fabric has high and constant tensile strength
in all directions. It has also good tearing strength.

APPLICATION OF AGRO-TEXTILE:

 Agro-textiles for production of crops:

 Agro‐textiles for Horticulture & Floriculture:
 Agro-textile for Animal Husbandry:
 Fishing and aquaculture nets:

Agro-textiles for production of crops:

The selection of Agro-textile product is depends on crop needs. Selection of the agro textiles is also
greatly influenced by the geographical location. Some of the applications of agro textiles are as
follows:
Sunscreen: The Warp-knitted nets are used in order to protect fields and greenhouses from the
intense solar radiation for healthy plant growth and good harvest. Sunscreen nets with open mesh
construction are used to control sunshine and amount of shade required. These net fabrics allow the
air to flow freely.

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Bird protection nets: Knitted monofilament nets (Open knitted nets for crop protection) offer
effective passive protection of seeds, crops and fruit against damage caused by birds and a variety of
pests. Open‐mesh net fabrics are used as a means of protecting fruit plantation. The special open
structure repels birds, provides minimal shading and excellent air circulation

Plant net: Fruits, which grow close to the ground, can be kept away from the damp soil by allowing
them to grow through vertical or tiered nets in order to keep the amount of decayed fruit to a
minimum. These are made from polyolefin type of fiber.

Ground cover: Ground cover is an extremely versatile landscaping and horticultural fabric for long‐
term weed control, moisture conservation and separation. It effectively suppresses competitive weed
growth, conserves ground moisture, maintains a clean surface, protects from UV rays and creates a
favorable environment for healthy plant growth.

Windshield /Wind protection nets/Wind-breaks: Windshields are used in farming to protect

fields of young plants, fruits, trees or the harvest from being damaged by the wind. Erecting wind-
breaks at right angles protects the young seedlings and the mature plants from dying out and being
broken.

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Cold and frost control fabrics: Cold and frost fabric can be laid directly on the plants, unlike
plastic covers that can attract frost, and burn any leaf that touches them. These fabrics protect the
plant from frost kill during unexpected late cold snaps and unexpected early ones.

Nets for covering pallets: For safe transportation of fruits and vegetables to the market the boxes
are covered with large mesh nets and pallets to stop the boxes being turned upside down. This
prevents damage of goods during transportation.

Harvesting net: It is extremely helpful to those countries where labour charges are costlier. With
the application of such nets for harvesting purpose, the labour cost could be reduced considerably.
They are laid on ground or tied under the trees so that fruits fall directly on to them.

Packing materials for agricultural products: Nets can be used for packaging of farm products
for many end uses. It includes packing sacks for vegetables, tubular packing nets for fruits and
wrappers for Christmas trees, Net structures are preferred because of their high strength, low weight,
air permeability and cheapness.

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Agro‐textiles for Horticulture & Floriculture:
Application of textile materials in horticulture is growing fast. Nets, non‐woven mats, movable
screens for glass/poly houses, non‐woven sheets, mixed bed for mushrooms, cordage and strings are
used in horticulture. Nets are also used for protection against hailstorms, intense sunrays, etc. Light
resistant woven and non-woven polyester fabrics are used in the inside of green house to protect the
plants from extreme hot or cold conditions. They are also used on the outside of the green houses as
screen to control sun light.

Some of the agro-textiles that are used frequently for horticultural & floriculture use are as follows:
 Hail protection fabrics
 Mulch net
 Rain protection fabrics
 Wind control fabrics
 Harvesting nets
Agro-textile for Animal Husbandry:
Nylon and polyester identification belts are used for cows. Textile nets are used to support the large
udders. Non-woven fabrics are used to filter the milk in automatic milking systems and as an underlay
to reduce mud on cattle paths and trails.

Fishing and aquaculture nets:

Fishnets are used for fishing and in fish farming. Warp knitted knotless nets results in low energy
expenditure when the net is used for fishing. They are mainly produced from Nylon monofilament,
multifilament or HDPE.

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CONCLUSION:

Today agro textile plays a significant role to control environment for crop production, eliminate
variations in climate, weather change and generate optimum condition for plant growth. Adopting the
hi-tech farming technique, where textile structures are used, could enhance quality and overall yield
of agro-products. Textile structures in various forms are used in shade house/ poly house, green house
and also in open fields to control environmental factors like temperature, water and humidity. The
need of textile goods in the field of agriculture has been stressed and their role in the reduced usage of
harmful pesticides and herbicides to render a healthy farming culture underlined. Unique
manufacturing techniques and properties of this blend of agro-textile sector products whose cost is
lesser than that of pesticides and chemical herbicides have been emphasized.

REFERENCES:

 http://www.textilemedia.com/technical-textiles/new-textile-materials/agrotextiles/
 http://www.textileworld.com/Issues/2005/September/Nonwovens-
Technical_Textiles/Agrotextiles-A_Growing_Field
 http://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2012/02/agro-textiles-general-property.html
 http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/textile-industry-articles/agro-textiles-a-rising-
wave/agro-textiles-a-rising-wave1.asp
 http://www.indiantextilejournal.com/articles/FAdetails.asp?id=1999
 http://www.indiantextilejournal.com/articles/FAdetails.asp?id=4709
 http://www.indiantextilejournal.com/articles/FAdetails.asp?id=884
 http://www.indiantextilejournal.com/articles/FAdetails.asp?id=4020