Sumitomo Metal Mining says its new Solament AgriCool Shade can hold greenhouse temperatures as much as 8.5 degrees Celsius lower without starving the plants inside of light. The trick is in what the fabric blocks.
Ordinary shade nets cut the sun’s heat by cutting the light itself, visible light included. Plants need that visible light for photosynthesis, so a cooler crop can also be a slower one. AgriCool Shade goes after near-infrared (NIR) light instead, the part of sunlight behind much of the heat. Visible light passes through almost unhindered.
The fabric is made with the company’s Solament material technology, which absorbs NIR. It is woven so growers can adjust how much visible and near-infrared light gets through, depending on the crop and the conditions. It also lets controlled amounts of ultraviolet light pass, which matters for color development in crops such as aubergines and for pollinators like bees.
Heat problems it targets
Heat waves can scorch leaves, crack fruit, disrupt pollination and cut yields, and hot soil stresses roots and speeds water loss. Sumitomo Metal Mining says field trials with agricultural partners showed soil temperatures falling by up to 8.5 degrees Celsius at the height of summer. The company’s own research includes case studies with yield gains, though results vary with the crop, the location and the weather. It also says the fabric suppresses greenhouse and fruit-surface temperatures, which reduces sunscald and cracking on high-value crops, and that cooler greenhouses are safer and more comfortable for the people working in them.
On the farm
The company has started field trials with farmers, agricultural organizations and local governments across Japan under its ReFarm initiative. One participant, Masaru Nakano of Nakano Farm in Hokkaido, told the company the shade sharply reduced heat stress in his tomatoes while photosynthesis carried on and fruit quality held up. Lower cumulative temperatures also delayed his harvest, which spread out shipping periods and steadied market supply.
Researchers are also looking at using it to protect traditional Japanese heirloom vegetables that are getting harder to grow in rising heat. The material is based on inorganic nanoparticles derived from rare metals, which the company designed to resist ultraviolet degradation. Applications under discussion go beyond greenhouses to open-field tunnels and agricultural workwear.
The trials are continuing across different climates and crop varieties. Price and a commercial release date have not been announced.
Sources
- Japan scientists developed a fabric that blocks heat-producing infrared light while letting crops receive the sunlight they need for photosynthesis
- Agriculture | SOLAMENT⢠| Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
