PROTECTINGyour high-value crop

摘要

Around the world, tree fruit growers are using covers to protect high-value crops. Orchardists in the United States have been slow to adopt the practice, but using them could increase returns on investment, says a Washington State tree fruit researcher. It's commonplace to see netting and protective covers in orchards in Italy and France, where hail occurs often. In Australia, growers use covers mainly to protect from bird damage, while in New Zealand, covers block hail. South African orchardists,who have found significant reduction in sunburn and an increase in yield from covers, are rapidly adopting netting technology and haveinitiated extensive research trials, according to Tory Schmidt, research scientist with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.