Thermo-reflective water management solutions take centre stage: eight field trials conducted over three years based on FAO methodology confirm a reduction of approximately 50% in water lost to evaporation. EIMA will also host a preview of the Group’s new catalogue, which brings nets and films together in a line-up increasingly geared to crop needs.
Como, Italy, – Prolonged droughts, heatwaves and under-pressure water resources are making water management one of the defining challenges for agriculture. Arrigoni is focusing its participation at EIMA International 2026, taking place in Bologna from 10 to 14 November, on these issues. The spotlight will be on PRISMA® and ROBUXTA® thermo-reflective screens: solutions that help improve crop microclimate and reduce water losses through evaporation. The trade show will also be an occasion to preview the Group’s new catalogue, which brings nets and films together in an integrated approach to crop protection.
The figures underline how urgent action is on this front: agriculture accounts for around 70% of global freshwater withdrawals and, according to the FAO, irrigated production will need to grow by more than 50% by 2050, while available water may increase by 10% at most. Alongside the efficiency of irrigation systems, the potential to reduce evaporation by influencing the climatic conditions around plants therefore comes to the fore.
Less evaporation, without sacrificing light
On this front, Arrigoni’s R&D team has carried out field trials on 25 different fabrics, using methodologies based on FAO guidance and the calculation of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) applying the Penman-Monteith formula. Results from the summer tests, conducted at maximum temperatures above 31°C, show a reduction in water lost to evaporation of between 40% and 50% under PRISMA® and ROBUXTA® screens compared with an uncovered area. However, what makes the difference is not simply the amount of shade produced, as the comparison between the different shading levels shows.
In particular, PRISMA® and ROBUXTA® LDF, with 30% shading, recorded a 40% reduction in water lost to evaporation, while the MDF version, with a shading level of 49%, achieved 46%. By contrast, total covering, which prevents light from reaching the crop, recorded a 75% drop in water loss. The comparison highlights a key point for agronomic management: a higher percentage of shading does not necessarily translate into proportionate water savings. Arrigoni’s thermo-reflective screens, in fact, significantly curb evaporation while maintaining adequate light for the crop.
“The trials showed us that shading percentage alone does not explain the water savings: how much heat the screen manages to reflect matters too,” explain the Arrigoni agronomists involved in the trials. “For farmers, this means being able to protect the crop from water stress without sacrificing the light it needs. Reducing water lost to evaporation means limiting losses and contributing to more efficient irrigation management, especially at times when the resource is scarcest.”
This performance is down to thermo-reflective technology: the white surface helps reflect the component of solar radiation responsible for heating, limiting heat stress and facilitating more balanced conditions for crops. This is complemented by high light-diffusing capacity, which improves PAR radiation quality, helps eliminate hot spots and promotes more uniform crop growth. As for ROBUXTA®, its monofilament-reinforced structure provides greater mechanical strength while retaining thermo-reflective performance.
This work forms part of the Group’s research programme, already supported by evidence from an independent ACSE trial conducted in France in 2023. Overall, the results confirm an important principle: water management can begin even before irrigation, through solutions that act on the microclimate and help reduce losses through evaporation.
The new catalogue: from individual product lines to crop solutions
Alongside water savings, EIMA will mark another milestone in Arrigoni’s evolution, with a preview of the new Group catalogue. It brings nets and films together in a single range structured around crop applications: not just products, then, but solutions chosen to suit agronomic needs, also through the combined use of different materials. An approach that aims to showcase not only the Group’s product lines but also customer service: the catalogue gives guidance on product availability, distinguishing between lines held in stock and made-to-order solutions.
“Agriculture in the coming decades will have to produce more with less water, less energy and an ever less predictable climate. We believe part of the answer is already here, in the materials: a fabric can change a crop’s microclimate, protect it from heat and help save water. The new catalogue stems from that conviction. It is not a list of products but the sum of everything we have learned from years of research and fieldwork, made available to growers,” says Patrizia Giuliani, Sales Director at Arrigoni S.p.A.
The PRISMA® and ROBUXTA® solutions and the new Group catalogue will be the focus of Arrigoni’s presence at EIMA, at Stand A/17 – Hall 22.
