Photoselective Netting

Photoselective Netting

Susan Allen
Susan Allen
With the Fruit Grower Report, My brother returned from ISREAL this year astounded by the wealth of agriculture and technology advances in the industry he saw. One area they are global leaders in is called Photoselective Netting. Dr. Yosepha Shahak, an Israeli researcher and world authority on anti-hail shade nets visited Wenatchee to speak about how they protect orchards.

Shahak: So protected cultivation is the most efficient way to protect extensive crops against excessive radiation, (light and Heat) by providing shading, protect from hail, wind from all kinds of flying pests.

With her research they have taken netting a whole new direction

Shahak: Based on the need and the potential of netting in general we have taken the netting technology one step one step further by incorporating photoselective filtration capacity into the netting materials, This was done together in a joint collaboration with the plastics industries in ISREAL for the last 18 years or so.

She said different colored nets actually change the growing environment of plants under them. Due to the modification of the light spectrum transmitted through them and the amount of light scattering that occurs as well.

And get some hands on experience with this at the WSU's Orchard Netting Field Day August 17 at McDougall and Son's Prospector Orchards, 9472 Road U NW (west side of the road), Wenatchee, WA, (Whitetrail Rd. and Highway 28 near Quincy) You'll see part of their large scale trial of different colors of photoselective anti-hailing netting in a 12 acre block of Honeycrisp where researchers have installed red blue and pearl netting . Contact WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center

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