Brisk Demand of 5 Agricultural Film Varieties
                          By Chen Shibin
According to the survey of relevant departments,   5  new  agricultural  film
varieties are highly acclaimed by farmers and therefore have brisk demand.
Black film: It is made from carbon black by blow  molding  with  addition  of
polyethylene resin. It can prevent moisture evaporation in soil and suppress
the growth of weeds. The consumption is increasing year after year.
Silver-gray film: It  is  made  from  polyethylene  resin  with  addition  of
aluminum powder. Its light reflectivity  factor  is  40%.   It  can  reflect
ultraviolet ray, expel aphids and reduce pests.
Silver reflecting film: It is  made  by  putting  an  aluminum  foil  on  the
polyethylene film. Its light reflectivity factor is from 80% to 100%.   When
it is used to cover  the  soil  of  orchards,   it  can  reduce  the  ground
temperature, increase the illumination of fruit trees,   promote  the  early
maturing and raise the yield of fruits.
Weeding film: It is coated with a herbicide on the film  surface.   When  the
soil moisture evaporates, the herbicide comes out from the film surface  and
dissolves in water drops. It can therefore kill weed sprouts.
Cut film: Producers cut hidden stripes in the film. It is laid on the  ground
after sowing. Sprouts of crops come out through the stripes to get  the  sun
light and the underground parts of sprouts can still be protected by the film.
It can therefore help the crop roots to have a sound growth.
Relevant departments have included multi-functional composite film  varieties
with high  transmittancy,   effective  warmth  preservation,   long- lasting
efficiency and non-toxicity in the debottlenecking research and  development
program during  the  Ninth  Five- year  Plan  period.   The  consumption  of
functional varieties will account  for  40%  of  the  total  consumption  of
agricultural film at the end of the Ninth Five-year Plan period. The  annual
demand will be around 200 000 tons, more than twice the present demand.