Several testimonies collected “in the field” attest to the effectiveness of PROTECTA® and FRUCTUS® for the safety of the most delicate crops. Spring rains have a decisive influence on fruit quality, especially for the delicate cherry crops. The rain can indeed interrupt the flowering process and reduce quality. In severe cases, it can create cracks in the fruit, which then cannot be sold. Another minor damage caused by the rain is the excessive humidity that can favor the development of dangerous fungal diseases, therefore requiring the use of phytopharmaceutical products. Arrigoni, with solutions such as PROTECTA®, PROTECTA® SYSTEM and FRUCTUS®, offers an effective solution to these problems and guarantees a very high protection, as testified by producers from different countries. Arrigoni’s solutions for the protection of cherries differ from traditional protection systems in terms of effectiveness and degree of innovation. The goal of Arrigoni was to create, maintain and restore favorable conditions for growth and for a better natural resistance of the plant itself. PROTECTA® is a fabric protection screen characterized by a porosity calibrated in the textile structure. This helps increase ventilation and wind passage, therefore contributing to the rapid elimination of humidity in the protected area. The screen is woven with high tenacity Arlene HT® monofilament, which makes it last three times longer than with a plastic film and helps the water slide more easily. At the same time, the fabric provides optimal air circulation, good light filtration and protection against hail. By connecting PROTECTA® to the BIORETE® insect screens, you can benefit from the entire PROTECTA security system, an effective solution to prevent insects (Drosophila Suzukii…) from reaching and damaging the crops. Arrigoni also offers the FRUCTUS® net against hail and frost, woven with gauze, available in black and natural grey, and in different versions depending on the needs. Maurizio Baldisserri, who manages the “Corte Bianca” farm near Imola (northern Italy), has been testing the effectiveness of PROTECTA®. “In 8 years, I have planted 12 hectares of cherries on my property, including 6 hectares about 5 km south of Imola, a region that generally has a very warm climate,” explains Baldisserri. “Here, I grow early varieties. The other cherries are on the hills of Castel del Rio, 4 km away from the border with Tuscany. There, the weather is definitely cooler so I planted late varieties.” “I started using Arrigoni agrotextiles two years ago, following an episode of heavy rains. In May 2019, for 4 weekends in a row, a total of 400 mm of rain fell. Nearly 100m per weekend. This had disastrous consequences for my cherries. For some varieties, the entire production was lost.” “In fact, rain, hail and excessive humidity are among the cherry’s worst enemies. The skin of the fruit is actually unable to block the excess of water. When this happens, the fruit becomes cracked and breaks.” “Thanks to a fruitful collaboration with the agronomists of Arrigoni, who invited me to visit covered orchards in the Trentino region, I used PROTECTA® for several years in some of my cherry orchards. I replaced my hail screens, with which I was not very pleased because they retained a high percentage of humidity in the covered area.” “So far, the results obtained in the area where I use PROTECTA® have been much better than what I expected. In fact, I still expected a loss of 5 to 10% but so far, I have been able to harvest 100% of my production. In addition to protecting against rain, PROTECTA® is also effective inside the cherry orchard. The rainwater indeed becomes a sort of thin mist which does not harm the cherries. Contrary to traditional protection systems, the humidity remains under control, because the ventilation level it guarantees is much higher. Additionally, I combine this system with foliar fertilization with calcium oxide to ensure skin resistance. I also use high micro-irrigation to make sure that the cherry plants do not have sudden accelerations in humidity during their annual cycle, going suddenly from a very dry situation to high humidity. Finally, PROTECTA® SYSTEM is also very effective against insects like Drosophila Suzukii. Actually, there had been a Drosophila net for 5-6 years but the PROTECTA® mesh is much thicker. Therefore, its function can be versatile: fighting against pests  and rain.” Positive feedback about the Arrigoni solutions is also coming from different producers in Portugal. The testimony comes from Novafrut, Arrigoni’s partner in the Iberian peninsula. “We are getting a lot of positive feedback regarding the cherries already harvested. All of the varieties, including some very early ones, were perfect this year even if the delicate days were very rainy, during the ripening phase already. Thanks to PROTECTA®, no damage from the rain was reported and the microclimate in our cherry orchards remained ideal.” Source - https://www.freshplaza.com