Sustainable Food Production: Innovative Netting Concepts and Their Mode of Action on Fruit Crops

Abstract

Net application in agriculture has a long history. Nets were usually used for the protection of plants against different hazards (hail, wind, birds, pests, excessive sun radiation) and, lately, from insects (nets with smaller mesh size). In recent years, photoselective netting technology has emerged, which adds desired plant responses caused by light quality changes to their basic protective properties. A combination of anti-insect and photoselective net technology (anti-insect photoselective nets) may present a notable contribution to the sustainable food production concept. Notable positive effects of this eco-friendly approach on agroecosystems are mainly achievable due to its non-pesticide pest protection of cultivated plants and, at the same time, promotion of special beneficial morphological and physiological plant responses. Although netting has been extensively studied over the last decade, there is a pronounced lack of publications and analyses that deal with their mode of action on fruit trees, which is especially true for new netting concepts. A better understanding of such mechanisms can lead to improved development and/or utilization of this technology and enhanced generation of value-added products. This review was based on a revision of the literature regarding netting in agriculture, with emphasis on fruit cultivation, and the following databases were used: Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Although this study aims to comprehend a majority of fruit species, it narrows down to those usually net-protected and, hence, studied, such as apple, peach or nectarine, kiwifruit, blueberry, etc. Nets mainly differ in their mesh size and color, which are the parameters that mostly determine their capacity for light quantity and quality modification. Such light modifications, directly or indirectly (e.g., change in microclimate), initiate different fruit tree responses (in some cases, mechanisms) through which the final effect is realized on their vegetative and generative traits. For instance, some of them include a shade avoidance mechanism (initiated by changes in red to a far-red ratio, blue light levels, etc.), source–sink relationship, and carbohydrate availability (actualized by changes in photosynthesis efficiency, vegetative and generative growth, etc.), plant stress response (actualized by microclimate changes), etc. In most cases, these responses are interconnected, which contributes to the complexity of this topic and emphasizes the importance of a better understanding of it.

Can Photoselective Nets’ Influence Pollen Traits? A Case Study in ‘Matua’ and ‘Tomuri’ Kiwifruit Cultivars

“…An association has been reported between reduced male fertility and a reduction in the incident radiation in the months preceding the anthesis in wheat but no effect from air temperature [ 21 ]. The use of PNs allow the modification of the light quantity and quality by inducing a reduced light quantity reaching the canopy, scattering it, and spectrally manipulating it, being dependent on the net colour [ 22 ]. Our study tested the influence of three different photoselective nets with similar mesh sizes but different nominal shading factors (4% for the yellow, 7% for the pearl, and 19% for the grey).…”

“…These different TSP responses have been observed in other species when exposed to environmental stressors like air pollution [ 25 ] and can lead to differential tolerances of each cultivar studied. Indeed, pollen grains synthesize a set of proteins and biochemical components involved in several vital processes, such as protecting the cellular machinery in response to environmental conditions [ 17 , 26 ], and it has been pointed out that PNs influence the canopy microclimate [ 22 ].…”

“…The alteration of the microclimate conditions under the nets can potentially cause a reduction in the stress conditions, such as a higher average soil water content and a decrease in the temperature. This could, in turn, lead to an increase in photosynthetic efficiency that will contribute to the synthesis and availability of carbohydrates in the whole plant, including the pollen [ 22 ]. As a result, with its ability to reflect and diffuse much light, the pearl net could have a more pronounced effect, with the Tomuri cultivar being more sensitive.…”

Advances in the Sustainable Use of Plastics in Horticulture—Perspectives, Innovations, Opportunities, and Limitations

“…Specifications of plastics used in agriculture and horticulture [4][5][6][7]. Sustainability aspect: Alternative, eco-friendly netting concepts include the combination with additional physiological and pathological features, such as shading and insect exclusion to reduce the amount of, e.g., insecticides against Drosophila in fully enclosed cherry orchards using a dense 1 mm mesh size (Vukovic et al, 2022) [8].…”

A Multifaceted Approach to Developing an Australian National Map of Protected Cropping Structures

“…Greenhouses can support year-round crop production, thus greatly increasing annual yield potential [8]. Other PCS, such as netting, protects the crop from pests such as birds, bats and insects as well as climatic variables such as hail, wind and excessive sun radiation [9].…”