Comparison of UV-absorbing nets in pepper crops: spectral properties, effects on plants and pest control

In horticultural crops, the use of screens to protect plants is the usual strategy in the Mediterranean area. Screen manufacturers offer a range of netting that vary in their UV-absorbing properties. We compared the photoeffects of seven different screens. Sweet pepper trials were conducted at the Gilat Research Center, Israel, where the spectral properties of the nets and their influence on pest infestation and crop development were evaluated. UV transmittance varied among the materials studied ranging from 40% to 70% of the incident radiation. BioNet white and P-Optinet, which absorbed and reflected the highest amount of UV radiation, performed the best protection against the main pepper pest (thrips, whiteflies and broad mites). Spectral measurements also showed that the photosynthetically active radiation differentially penetrated the nets, which together with the amount of UV absorbed by the screenings, resulted in a range of plant height and chlorophyll content. A global understanding of the UV-absorbing nets' effect on pepper crops and their pests was evaluated in this work because of the importance of these screens to integrated pest management and sustainable agriculture production.