FruitSecurity Holland specialises in crop protection with the aid of hailnets. This new black hailnet has a high UV resistance and a lifespan of 25 years, with the added benefits that it prevents sunburn and can be used to slow down fruit ripening by a few days.
Hailnets protect fruit against wind, hail, driving rain, insects, and bird damage. The acreage of hailnets in the Netherlands increases every year. Fruit Security’s black hailnet differs from the usual hailnet not only in colour, but also in chemical composition. Carbon, as a UV stabiliser, slows down the ageing process of hailnets. Ordinary hailnets have a lifespan of 10 years, but the new added carbon chemical composition of the black hailnet increases the lifespan to as much as 25 years, leading to savings of €20,000-€25,000/ha.
Black hailnets have only recently been introduced in countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the UK, yet in Austria and Italy they have been used for some time now. Experience shows that black nets let through less light. Therefore, they are better at preventing sunburn, especially on apples, pears and apricots. Experience shows that fruit colours more uniformly, resulting in a more consistent fruit quality. With the aid of black nets, fruit ripening can be extended by an average of four days. Therefore fruit growers can use black nets to slightly delay fruit picking and spread the use of harvesting personnel over different acreages. Black nets are less noticeable in the landscape, which also is an advantage.
FruitSecurity Holland delivers and erects its hailnets throughout Europe, Asia, America and Africa, and advises, develops, manufactures and erects all its hailnet systems itself. The mesh size of the black net is 2.8mm x 8.7mm. It has a weight of 46-50g/sqm and can be supplied in any width and length. FruitSecurity also supplies clear and grey hailnets and expects black and grey hailnets to become the standard because of the benefits.