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Agrotex - Agricultural textiles
Which includes technical textile products used in agriculture, such as:
Agricultural Applications
Geotextiles are tailor-made products, and the list of applications is never-ending. Here are some examples in which geotextiles are in use for agricultural purposes:
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We offer PP Spunbond Non Woven Fabrics manufactured with superior quality polypropylene. Our PP Spunbond Non Woven Fabric is versatile in nature and is used for wide range of industries including garments, medical, packaging and agricultural industries; therefore, they have replaced traditional fabrics. PP Spunbond Non Woven Fabrics offered by us are non-toxic and eco-friendly and are especially being used as Crop Cover applications.
- Plant Protection
- Seed Blankets
- Weed-Control Fabrics
- Biodegradable Plant Pots
- Capillary Matting
- Landscape Fabric and
- Protection from Frost and Insects.
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| Fibres Used In Geotextiles |
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The main man-made polymer materials used to make geotextiles are polypropylene and polyester, but for some applications, natural fibres such as coir or jute are used. Natural-fibre-based erosion-control geotextiles are subject to decomposition and have a limited useful life before their inherent durability suffers. Onsite use of natural-fibre blankets degraded in this way can result in an ineffectual installation. Man-made polymers have the advantage of not decaying under biological and chemical processes, but being petrochemical-based products, they are made from nonrenewable.
resources; and they also cause environmental pollution in their manufacture and use, and have associated health risks.
Ideally, vegetation can provide the best erosion control, but this may be difficult to establish. The use of hydroseeding or seed-impregnated fabric can be an effective method to establish vegetation. Hydroseeding, sometimes referred to as hydromulching, is a fast, efficient and economical process of planting grass. A mix is made of fibrous mulch, seed, fertilizer, and water. Different fibres will degrade at different rates - for example, coir geotextiles degrade in two to three years, and jute in one to two years. Coir is therefore useful in situations where vegetation will take longer to establish, and jute is useful in low-rainfall areas because it absorbs more moisture. |
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| Erosion |
The rate of erosion depends on factors such as climate and temperature as well as the consistency of the soil. Experts estimate that some 40 percent of the world's agricultural land is seriously degraded due to erosion. The applied nonwovens must be tailor-made and configured according to the consistency and the fineness of the soil: the finer the particles, the finer the fabric required. Most nonwoven geotextiles are used in road construction as a barrier fabric and to support the road construction between the stone and gravel layer and the tarmac. As mentioned before, water is of great importance to erosion processes and the reason for many problems around the world. Geotextiles are especially suitable for reinforcing slopes to prevent erosion caused by water.
Any modern harbour construction is under-laid with geotextiles. The way it functions is easy to explain:
Imagine standing on the beach with your feet in the shallow water. After one minute, your feet are covered with sand. If you stand on a towel, your feet are still visible because the towel is acting like a geotextile respectively as a barrier fabric to provide the free flow of the water.
Most of the major breaches in the New Orleans levee system after Hurricane Katrina were caused by flaws in design, construction and maintenance. It has been reported that lives may have been lost because mistakes were made and safety was exchanged for cutting corners and reducing costs. Some parts of the system could still be unstable even after the current round of repairs by the US Army Corps of Engineers. |
| Agrotextiles Reduce Chemical Use |
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The use of nonwoven crop covers on the land increases yields and improves crop quality. Very light, flexible sheets are laid over seed beds, creating a microclimate in which the heat and humidity are controlled. Plant growth is accelerated, and the plants are protected from adverse weather conditions and vermin. In capillary mat applications, nonwovens promote the healthy growth of flowers and vegetables in greenhouses by offering soilless growing methods.
The spaces among the intersecting fibres of nonwoven sheets are big enough to allow air and water to penetrate the fabric and reach the crop, but small enough to keep out insects. The protection allows plants and crops to grow without the need to use pesticides and herbicides.
With the further improvement of raw materials, such as fibres, coating material, composite constructions and other products; and, last but not least, with modern machinery and equipment, the end-uses for all kinds of geotextiles have expanded considerably. The products also have appeared on the market under such names as geogrids and geonets.
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