Achieving greener, pest-free growing with the right energy screens and insect net

APRIL 2022

Santiago Martín welcomes us to his organic farm to talk about his experience with the Luxous 1547 D FR screen in combination with the Xsect Xtreme net, achieving a pest-free Palermo pepper crop.

In El Ejido, in the province of Almería, we meet Santiago Martín Vargas, an experienced grower who is already familiar with using Svensson technology. A year ago, we met with him so he could tell us how he managed to achieve a pest-free organic crop using the Xsect Xtra net in his courgette and Palermo pepper crops.

This time, he is joined by Svensson’s technical advisors, who support Santiago, check that everything is working correctly, and ensure his new installations are delivering the expected results.

Santiago has now incorporated the Luxous 1547D FR screen in combination with the Xsect Xtreme net.

Santiago, how has the use of Svensson’s Xsect Xtreme net together with the Luxous 1547 D FR screen affected your organic farm?

Since we installed the nets, the population of pests and harmful insects like thrips has dropped significantly compared to other greenhouses where we don’t use them. With the screens, the night-time temperature is between one and a half and two degrees higher. This prevents the crop from slowing down and helps it develop more quickly.

By having the screens closed at night, I notice differences and improvements in production: the plant performs better.

How do the nets affect pest control in organic crops like yours?

Releasing beneficial insects is faster because there are fewer pests, and it’s easier for them to control them. With Svensson nets, I notice that my greenhouses react earlier and my crops are better protected.

Regarding the use of the screens, the main benefit is that they increase the night-time temperature, and in summer we avoid having to whitewash for several months of the year, which I used to have to do, allowing us to make the most of the light. During the strongest hours of radiation, we can close the screen to keep the plants from suffering. Thanks to the nets and the low incidence of harmful insects such as thrips, whitefly or aphids, beneficial insects can respond much better.

The nets are a very important barrier, and because fewer harmful insects enter, the beneficial ones can control them more quickly. This is noticeable in the reduction of viruses and in the improved quality of the fruit.

What differences do you notice between the greenhouse with a screen and the one without?

In the greenhouse with the screen, I find that at night and early in the morning the temperature is always one or two degrees higher, even when I compare it with the double roof I have installed in some of my greenhouses. Now that winter is approaching, plants generally take longer to grow, but with the screen they keep growing. In the other greenhouse the growing tips stop, whereas with the screen they continue.

In summer, you avoid having to whitewash, and during the hours when the sun isn’t too strong, you can use all available radiation by closing the screen.

In the afternoon, before the sun goes down, the screens are closed, allowing the radiation to enter the greenhouse and helping the temperature remain much more stable.

Among the greenhouses where you grow Palermo peppers, have you noticed an increase in production, flowering, or other variables?

Right now I haven’t harvested yet, so I don't have production data, but I have noticed around 25–30% more flowering in the middle part of the plant in the greenhouse with the screen. In terms of growth, I’ve noticed that the greenhouse with the screen is growing faster — it’s catching a significant advantage over the rest.

What was your experience when you switched from a nursery that had Svensson protection and screens to one that didn’t?

It was a radical change. Since bringing the plants from Los Crespos, which are protected with your nets, I haven’t had a single virus. The nursery plants arrived virus-free.

Why did you switch to Los Crespos in this case?

Because I knew they were protected with Svensson nets, and I had already seen the results on my own farm. I know the arched greenhouses used in nurseries are more efficient than flat-roof structures, and I trusted that it would work. I wasn’t wrong: it worked. For that reason, “I will continue working with Svensson’s production chain.”