Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a special fabric, called “Plant Armor”, which covers plants like lightweight armour. The fabric keeps insects out but lets light, rain and air through.
In field trials in tunnels over three growing seasons, covered strawberry plants produced up to 3.56 times more fruit than uncovered plants. The fabric kept the plants warmer, which made them fruit earlier, and in laboratory tests aphids could not get through it.
The technology grew out of research into mosquito-resistant military uniforms. The study was published in the journal Agriculture. The researchers now want to test it on other crops and in other regions, and believe it could help reduce pesticide use.
