Mechanical behaviour and properties of agricultural nets - Part I: Testing methods for agricultural nets

Agricultural nets are extensively used in certain types of cultivation, such as fruit-tree farming, for protection against birds and insects as well as anti-hail and anti-frost shields or windbreaks. However, the design, quality assessment and use of the agricultural nets are more or less empirical. In the present paper, the most critical properties of the nets with regard to the agricultural applications are determined. Proper evaluation schemes for the most critical mechanical properties of permeable materials, directly related to the needs of the specific agricultural applications, are established. The results of the adaptation of existing testing methods designed for measuring selected mechanical properties of agricultural nets are presented along with specific technical recommendations. This pre-normative research work may support future co-normative work for the establishment of European standards for measuring the mechanical properties of agricultural nets. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.