Plant Armor fabric increases strawberry yields in NC State tests

A textile cover developed by North Carolina State University researchers increased strawberry yields by as much as 3.56 times in tunnel field tests while maintaining plant access to light, airflow and rain.

The technology, called Plant Armor, uses a three-dimensional fabric structure designed to prevent insects from reaching plants beneath the cover. Researchers reported that the material did not negatively affect relative humidity or light access.

The cover also produced a consistent warming effect across the strawberry plant’s three growing seasons. The additional warmth helped covered plants reach the fruiting stage earlier than uncovered plants by increasing accumulated heat, measured as growing degree-days.

“We expected that Plant Armor’s seemingly opaque fabric would lead to an increase in vegetative biomass at the expense of fruiting,” said Gabriel Olawuyi, graduate research assistant at NC State and lead author of the study. “However, we found the fabric did not impede access to light at all, and fruit production increased significantly.”

Researchers said the physical barrier could also reduce reliance on traditional pesticides by preventing insect feeding.

Plant Armor originated from research aimed at developing textiles that could make military uniforms resistant to mosquito bites while improving comfort beneath body armor.

The study, “Knitted 3-D, Porous Textile Cover to Enhance Strawberry Fruit Production and Prevent Insect Feeding,” was published in Agriculture. The Plant Armor Gen 2 fabric evaluated in the study is patented by NC State and licensed for commercial development.