On the other side of the Alps, there is further confirmation of the quality and efficiency of Arrigoni’s solutions, not only in active protection against insects and diseases but also in crop shading and the resulting water savings. Indeed, the results of a three-year experiment conducted in Biltzheim, in the department of Upper Rhine, have demonstrated, with concrete numbers, that Arrigoni’s Prisma® range is the most effective and efficient in providing crop shading (primarily for tomatoes), thereby reducing the need for irrigation by up to 50%. Within the greenhouses protected with Prisma®, the temperature decrease reached up to ten degrees Celsius compared to the control tunnel.
With climate change occurring and global temperatures rising, the agriculture of the future is also called upon to do its part. Shading greenhouses, in this context, is a technique that is becoming a necessity on increasingly larger surfaces. On one hand, the adoption of such solutions reduces the water requirements and physiological disorders of existing crops. On the other hand, shading helps maintain temperatures below a critical threshold, allowing for optimal working conditions in the greenhouses.
The experimentation was carried out during 2022 as part of the Acse program, sponsored by the French government, ADEME (the French agency for ecological transition), Grand Est, and Climaxion (ADEME’s program for energy transition and circular economy).
The study, conducted in 2022 in Biltzheim, evaluated the effectiveness of new whitening products, which were compared with Arrigoni’s Prisma® range. In particular, the tests were conducted during the hottest and driest summer of all time, not only in France but also in Italy, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as evidenced by the report “State of the Climate in Europe 2022,” prepared by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program.
The study confirms that “Prisma® remains the most advantageous method: during heat peaks, it allows temperatures to be reduced by nearly 10°C more than an unshaded tunnel. Its installation is simple and fast, and unlike whitening products, it minimizes the need for labor, which is instead essential for continuous whitening operations.” Furthermore, the data from the experimentation show that the difference between Prisma® and a whitening product can even be double. According to the study itself, “whitened tunnels allow for a temperature decrease of approximately five to seven degrees, depending on the tunnel.” This is a much worse result compared to the ten degrees assured by Arrigoni’s Prisma® range.
Paolo Arrigoni, CEO of Arrigoni, emphasizes: “We are extremely pleased with the results of this test, which was conducted entirely independently. It demonstrates that our investments in materials and high technology for crop protection produce proactive solutions that can effectively respond even in increasingly extreme situations. Indeed, the case of Prisma® is emblematic, as it represents a medium-term investment, guaranteed for at least five years.”
Already at the end of 2022, during the last edition of Eima, Arrigoni presented the results of a study on shading and water savings, conducted from April to October 2022 at the Group’s experimental field in Putignano, in the province of Bari. In particular, the Fructus®, Protecta® System, Prisma®, Robuxta®, and Arricover® ranges, which are the most widely used coverings from Arrigoni, were tested. Even on that occasion, Prisma® demonstrated its effectiveness in this aspect by achieving water savings in covered crops that were 40-50% higher than those of outdoor cultivation.
