Every harvest season, farmers are presented with various kinds of challenges that, if not tackled skillfully, can impact their productivity and financial success.
Crops are vulnerable to all kinds of potential predicaments, including attacks by insects, weeds, rodents, nematodes, and wildlife, damage by plant diseases, or environmental factors like air pollution or weather hazards.
These and many other factors can significantly reduce the crop yield and deny agriculturists and farmers the use of some of their crops. Some of these factors can cause massive destruction quickly; for instance, a storm can wipe out an entire field in the blink of an eye. This not only has financial implications but also wastes the hard work that farmers put into the growth and nourishment of crops.
Since ancient times, humankind has made efforts to devise control measures for crop protection, which can contain the damage and curtail the attacks on their crops. Farmers and scientists have been working on various fronts to combat the attack on crops and maintain the food chain.
However, the issue of devising crop protection measures is not that straightforward. Many control measures not only kill unwanted pests or parasites but also harm the creatures vital to the ecosystem; the honeybees, for instance.
Moreover, the bigger the scale, the bigger the stakes! Many chemical or biological methods apply to small-scale insect or parasite attacks and may not be effective against wildlife or weather conditions. Crop protection against weather conditions and wildlife requires different and bigger measures.
This article provides helpful tips on protecting crops from weather and wildlife with particular emphasis on environment-friendly ways that do not disrupt the ecological balance.
Crop protection from wildlife
Protecting crops from wildlife is often overlooked as farmers are more concerned about protecting their crops from weeds, diseases, insects, parasites, weather calamities such as hailstorms or sandstorms, etc. However, protecting crops from wildlife is equally important, and a few common measures farmers employ in this regard include the following.
Fencing and repellants
Fencing is a popular deterring method that farmers have used for years for crop protection against wildlife. Different fencing methods include wire, plastic or elastic fences.
Additional methods include the use of electronic repellants like ultrasonic repellants and natural repellants like smoke, chili peppers, beehive fencing, etc. Farmers also employ other methods like firecrackers, fires, dogs, or drums.
The challenges of crop protection methods against wildlife
When we consider fencing methods, state laws are an important consideration in this regard. For instance, electrical fences may be a threat to wildlife, particularly the endangered species, and are banned in specific areas.
Similarly, if you consider plastic fences, they are not very durable and may not be effective against wild animals. In the same manner, wire fences are expensive and are only recommended for high-end crops.
Moreover, other protective measures like electronic and natural repellants are not a one-for-all method. They are generally limited to a specific type of wildlife only.
Crop protection from weather hazards
The weather has a significant influence on the success or failure of agricultural enterprises. Since farmers have no control over the force of nature, a significant portion of the total annual crop losses is attributed to aberrant weather. Of all the weather conditions, natural hazards like strong winds, cyclones, and storms can cause significant damage and require strong crop protection measures.
Protective structures for crops
Luckily, we are living in times where technological advancement has led man to devise potentially effective ways to protect crops against the strongest of hazards, be it wildlife or weather hazards.
Crop protective structures are an easy, clever, and convenient way of shielding plants from potential hazards. WeatherSolve Structures offers a wide range of crop protection options in this regard.
The company offers worldwide services in designing and manufacturing agricultural environment control structures, among other solutions. The designs have been subjected to extreme weather conditions, including Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the South Pacific cyclones, etc.
WeatherSolve offers a wide range of crop protection options. The selected protective structure is specifically planned and manufactured to cater to the specific requirements of the cropping system and facilitates enriching the environment.
Here are the crop protection structures designed and manufactured by WeatherSolve.
Crop protection with Windbreak structures
One design of windbreak crop protection structures entails the deployment of high fences integrated with grills on young plants and high shelter above every specific number of rows. The along-row windbreaks are effective if the wind direction is mostly across the rows.
Another design is the grid windbreak which is low-cost and efficient. It is suitable if the wind is expected to come from multiple directions. In such an instance, it provides a higher degree of shelter.
Crop protection with bird and hail nets
If you are a grape grower looking for a low-cost option for crop protection from birds, you will find the over-row draped bird net very effective. Tractor-mounted rollers are used to place and remove the nets. The nets are reusable, hence offering a cost-effective option.
For other instances, farmers can employ fixed bird nets available in different mesh sizes to keep birds as large as ducks away. The smaller mesh sizes are designed to keep smaller birds away but allow bees in.
Similarly, WeatherSolve also designs hail net meshes in different sizes to protect from different types of hail. The design includes fixed canopies so the fittings are more secure and the fabric is tied firmly, making for a durable canopy structure that protects against strong storms.
Crop protection with a canopy
WeatherSolve offers different types of canopy structures.
Seasonally removable canopies are installed to provide seasonal shade or hail protection, as suggested earlier. The tying and unclipping along the individual panels are done manually; hence time-consuming. Therefore, this canopy form is suitable if the area is small or odd-shaded.
Swivel retractable canopy can be opened and closed quickly for crop protection against sudden climatic changes such as wind storms, a hail threat, or excessive heat from the sun. In other instances, the canopy is retracted to allow bees to access the crop.
Another option is the retractable accordion canopy, which offers the added advantage of using multiple kinds of fabric. However, it is expensive.
Crop protection with Shadehouses
Shadehouse makes for a stronger crop protection structure, shielding crops from a hurricane or strong, forceful winds. A less porous fabric is used in shadehouses, with narrow fabric panels attached with internal support.
One form of shadehouse is the seasonally removable rain covers. These structures are retractable and designed to shield against rain. The rain shadehouse can be adapted for use in winters too. In this type of structure, translucent sheets are attached under the sheet to preserve heat in winter.
