Australian Stonefruit Grower Magazine Issue 2 August 2016 | Page 41
Advertising feature
Net Gain
A win-win situation for growers
Every grower needs to consider netting sometime in the life of the orchard.
N
etting is mainly put up as a
defence against bird attack
on ripe fruit, but it also has side
benefits of protecting sensitive
fruit from wind damage and loss
of crop due to hail and severe
storms. There is some evidence
that it can guard against insect
pests, which can’t see through
fine mesh nets. Nets can also be
effective defence against bats and
possums if erected correctly.
If the only problems come
from medium sized birds such as
parrots and starlings, and fruit
bats, then a medium sized 40mm
net will do the job. But if the
orchard is liable to attack from
smaller silvereyes you will need a
smaller sized mesh.
If you need to keep out insects
or other small pests you will need
a double or quad crossover net.
But if your crop needs pollination
you can’t use crossover net
because the bees can’t, or won’t,
fly through it. Some growers even
put hives inside the permanent
canopy structure with varying
success.
summerfruit.com.au
Every grower knows what the
current problem predators are,
but few can predict what they will
be over the life of the orchard.
Species are replaced by others
in response to the available food
chain which can vary permanently
as well as seasonally.
The next choice is between
seasonal throw-over netting
(sometimes called a floating
cover) or a permanent structure.
Vineyards, and other crops that
need to be protected from birds
and insects, use throw-over for
the six or so weeks they are
vulnerable. However, stonefruit
growers must protect against hail
damage for the whole time the
crop is on the tree. The difference
in cost is considerable; throwover
costs about $3 to $4000 a
hectare, an effective hail cover can
cost up to $45,000.
Hail net needs to be about
9mm with a crossover but fish
farm net can be effective at
75mm. Clearly a hail net structure
needs to be very much stronger
than that used for bird protection.
To work out how strong the
structure should be a structural
engineer should be consulted,
they can calculate the porosity of
the net and the likely wind speeds
the structure will need to survive.
For more information on netting and personal expert advice on how
to use it under specific conditions and for specific problems, contact
OTCO Agricultural netting by email: [email protected]
Visit the website for available net specification:
www.otcobirdnet.com.au
To see a slide presentation on the sequence of erecting canopy go to
www.otcobirdnet.com.au/PermanentCanopy.htm
FOR PRICING AND DELIVERY INQUIRIES CALL 0428 611 559.
august 2016 | Australian Stonefruit Grower
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