Ampacet broadens film portfolio to provide better agricultural yields

Ampacet says it is developing its portfolio to meet the needs of a growing population by offering films that provide higher crop quality and yields.

Its range of masterbatches and additives to produce greenhouse and tunnel films are designed to protect crops from pests and disease, offer better light transmission and anti-fog properties.

To combat fogging in greenhouses and low tunnels, Ampacet has broadened its ‘Agroclear’ range and introduced new Agroclear 752 for one-to-two seasons greenhouses, low tunnels and early harvest crop protection films.

Ampacet says Agroclear 752 allows, at very low addition rates, the provision of “outstanding and consistent antifog properties” to protection films used in agriculture and horticulture fields. It maintains an excellent film transparency, avoids problems linked to fog formation (light transmission reduction and plant damages), optimises plant growth and supports crop yield.

In addition, Ampacet’s portfolio has developed a product to eliminate the need for fumigation pest control usingsulfur evaporators. It’s ‘Agristab’ additive technology enables the use of highly intensive pesticides without the degradation of UV stabilising properties of the greenhouse film that often occurs and leads to early degradation and a shorter greenhouse shelf life.

Agristab 372 is said to provide greenhouse film with outstanding resistance to pesticides, allowing usage of up to 5,000 ppm sulfur for a greenhouse that can last for more than three years. Agristab 372also enables use of lower-gauge greenhouse films in structures and the ability to target typical pesticide usage levels of, for example, 1,500 to 3,000 ppm with lower amounts of stabilisation. Agristab 372 does not affect the colour of the greenhouse film and offers excellent light transmission and optimised crop yield.

For hot environments, the introduction of Ampacet’s ‘Heatscreen 34’ provides a ‘cooling’ effect to greenhouses used under very hot climate conditions, limits overheating of the greenhouses inner atmosphere and avoids dehydration of the plants. This enables an optimised plant growth.

Finally, its ‘Thermic337’ product ensures a maximum heat inside the greenhouse and low tunnels during the night by blocking the far infra-red spectrum emitted by the ground, providing a ‘thermic’ effect. This allows the greenhouse or low tunnels inner atmosphere temperature to achieve an additional 1°C to 3°C during the night leading to a higher plant growth rate, higher yield and anticipated harvest.