Vito Gambina extends the cycle to 11 months with Arrigoni screens

The berry producer has tested the efficacy of the Robuxta® line on his farm, “A piccoli frutti” of Marsala (Trapani, Italy). This and other solutions will be exhibited in the test fields at Macfrut 2023 and presented at the International Blueberry Days, the show’s event dedicated to berries. The new Arrigoni Lirsa-brand range of agrofilms will also be under the spotlight. 

Berries are amongst the most complex agricultural crops: weather phenomena (rain, wind, hail, excessive sunlight, etc.), as well as sudden variations in temperature, may have very serious adverse effects on the yield and efficiency of entire plantations. Arrigoni, which has recently also extended its range of agrotextiles in this sector, will be showing all its latest novelties at the international Macfrut 2023 exhibition (Rimini Fiera, 3 – 5 May, on stand 090 Hall A1), starting from the Lirsa-brand medium and high light-diffusion agrofilms. The Group’s offering for protecting berries, and blueberries in particular, will also be presented in a speech at 11:30 hrs on 5 May (Hall A1, test field), during the International Blueberry Days, the exhibition event sponsored by Arrigoni.  

Confirmation of the quality of Arrigoni’s protective systems for berries is provided above all by the growers who have already adopted some of the company’s solutions. They include Vito Gambina, proprietor of “A piccoli frutti di Vito Gambina” of Marsala (Trapani, Italy). “My farm,” Mr Gambina explains, “is a specialist grower of berries using protected cultivation methods. Recently, supported by the Arrigoni technical consulting service, we chose white Robuxta® MDF for the protection of our plants, with results we would describe as excellent. In fact, this solution protects plants from excessive sunlight, maintains an optimal internal microclimate and has considerably increased our yields. In particular, we’ve already extended the cropping cycle to 11 months a year, very impressive for a hot climate like the one in which we operate”. 

Robuxta® will be one of the solutions on show in a few weeks’ time at Macfrut 2023, together with the new range of products with which Arrigoni has recently expanded its offering: the Lirsa brand diffusive agrofilms, ideal for tunnel and greenhouse crops, including berries. Arrigoni agrofilms are outstanding in their excellent mechanical resistance to weather phenomena. Combined with high transmittance, their broad spectrum of applications makes them one of the most widely used, versatile products for crops of this kind. Specifically, medium diffusion agrofilms are designed to provide a high level of heat resistance, aided by the combined action of EVA copolymer and special IR absorbers. Their slight opalescence ensures diffused, uniform distribution of sunlight inside the greenhouse, significantly reducing the formation of shadow zones in its interior and reducing plant scorching problems. Application of this film therefore ensures uniform, earlier, higher crops. High diffusion agrofilms, on the other hand, are designed to distribute sunlight evenly inside the greenhouse by reflecting it in different directions, ensuring that it penetrates more effectively. What’s more, these films can also reduce the amount of near infrared radiation (NIR), lowering the temperature in the protected environment and preventing overheating. This type of solution is thus recommended when sunlight is usually strong, such as in tropical, desert or Mediterranean climates. The results of Arrigoni films in tunnel berry growing have actually been measured: thanks to the combined operation of polymers and mineral filters, sunlight transmission inside the greenhouse may exceed 89% and its diffusion inside the protected environment may be over 60%, with a high degree of uniformity. 

Arrigoni also offers an array of particularly effective solutions both for protection against the weather and for combating insect pests. Prisma®, a line of polyethylene tape textiles with LD–Light Diffusion additive, enables more uniform plant growth and reduces the internal temperature, creating the right microclimate for the various crops. Robuxta®, a thermo-reflective screen with various density factors, increases the shading factor, reflects infrared radiation and, by reducing internal temperature by up to 5 degrees, has increased yields by as much as 70% compared to monofilament nets. Hail is also a particularly serious threat for berry growing, which Arrigoni is able to prevent thanks to its Fructus® and Iride® net systems. Against rain, on the other hand, Protecta® is the multifunctional screen made entirely from HDPE with excellent mechanical strength and a long lifetime. Last but not least, Biorete® is a line of effective systems for use against insect pests such as Drosophila suzukii and Tuta absoluta.  

Several of these protective solutions will also be on centre stage at the International Blueberry Days, a three-day event dedicated entirely to blueberries, to be held to coincide with Macfrut. At 11:30 hrs on Friday 5 May, seminar guests will enjoy a guided visit to the test fields set up in the showground’s Hall A1, where Arrigoni Group agronomists will demonstrate and present the company’s berry protection solutions as part of the presentation entitled “New Berry Growing Environments”, with additional insights from Group agronomist Dr Milena Poledica and Cristiana Peano, Full Professor at the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Science Department, University of Turin.  Visit Arrigoni on stand 090, Hall A1 at Macfrut

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