Use of bio-based polymers in agricultural exclusion nets: A perspective

The use of exclusion netting as an Integrated Pest Management technique is likely to become increasingly important as a means to increasing crop yields whilst minimising pesticide use. However, the increasing use of these nets will also lead to a rise in greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector and pose problems related to their end-of-life disposal. Employing biopolymers made from low-carbon and renewable biomass feedstock to fabricate exclusion nets can potentially resolve these issues by merging the benefits of the two emerging technologies. Despite this, there has only been limited work on the use of biopolymer netting in agriculture. By looking at the challenges needed to be overcome for biopolymers to be widely used as a netting material, this review aims to bridge the gaps between the two fields of research. To do so, the past work done on agricultural netting is discussed, with a focus on the implemented materials and their desired properties. After this, potential candidate biopolymers for manufacturing agricultural nets are pointed out, emphasizing their sustainability with respect to widely used Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) parameters, including the end-of-life treatment.