Analysis of non-woven fabric industry trends in 2025: in-depth application and development of non-woven fabrics in agricultural production

Amidst the wave of high-quality development in green agriculture, non-woven fabrics, as an emerging green and environmentally friendly material, are gradually replacing traditional agricultural mulch films with their unique advantages, such as lightweight, breathable, heat-insulating, moisture-retaining, and biodegradable properties. They are becoming a key force in promoting sustainable agricultural development. Non-woven fabrics play a vital role in many agricultural fields, including greenhouse coverings, rice seedling insulation, and fruit preservation. They are crucial for reducing "white pollution," improving agricultural product quality, and protecting the agricultural ecological environment.

I. Research Progress in Agricultural Non-woven Fabrics at Home and Abroad

Agricultural non-woven fabrics are non-woven fabric materials used in agricultural production. They are composed of oriented or randomly arranged fibers, reinforced by friction, cohesion, or bonding between the fibers. They are primarily made from materials such as polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl alcohol (PVAL), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The concept of non-woven fabrics was first proposed in the United States in 1942. In 1976, non-woven fabrics were first used as greenhouse coverings in parts of Europe, marking the beginning of their widespread application in agriculture. In the late 1970s, Japan developed a lightweight, breathable nonwoven mulch film for covering farmland, triggering a second white revolution in agriculture. Its applications expanded to include insect and bird protection, vegetable disease prevention, and frost control. my country introduced paper bagging technology from Japan in 1981, and by 1993, it was widely used in apple orchards in the Jiaodong region and subsequently in fruit-producing areas across northern and southern China. Since the 1990s, developed countries have begun producing biodegradable nonwoven mulch films that quickly and completely degrade in the soil without causing environmental pollution.

my country's research on nonwovens began relatively late. In 1988, filament nonwoven production lines were introduced and put into mass production. Subsequently, nonwovens were used to cover crops such as peppers, celery, spinach, and leeks in open fields and greenhouses, achieving excellent cultivation results and economic benefits. In 1997, the government proposed the development of agricultural nonwovens in the relevant industry catalog, marking the beginning of my country's initial research and development of nonwovens in the agricultural sector. Since 2000, non-woven mulch has been widely used in agricultural production in my country. The complete ban on polyethylene plastic bags in 2008 spurred the rise of the non-woven fabric industry. In 2017, my country promulgated national standards for fully biodegradable mulch, revising the labeling of existing mulch films. Currently, polypropylene non-woven mulch is a primary material in agricultural production, and its aging and degradation issues have become a hot topic of research.

II. Multiple Effects of Non-woven Fabrics on Soil Physical and Chemical Properties

(I) The Regulating Effect of Non-woven Mulches on Soil Temperature

Polypropylene non-woven mulches have excellent thermal insulation properties and can effectively reduce temperature fluctuations in the shallow soil layer. A study published in the "2025-2030 China Non-woven Fabric Industry Market Research and Investment Prospects Analysis Report" shows that covering lettuce fields with 120 g/m2 of non-woven mulch significantly increases soil surface temperature and the temperature of the shallow soil layer 5-20 cm in depth in winter. On sunny winter days, the average soil surface temperature under mulch treatments was 2°C higher than under unmulch treatments. Especially during the cooler nights of winter, soil surface temperature under non-woven mulch treatments can increase by 2.6°C. In a root-restricted cultivation experiment with "Xiangxiu Watermelon," the use of non-woven mulch resulted in higher root zone temperatures and average root zone temperatures in the 5-25 cm soil layer than in the control group. The average root zone temperature in the 15 cm soil layer increased by 2.43°C, and the average root zone temperature in the 25 cm soil layer increased by 2.6°C. Furthermore, non-woven mulch provides shade in the summer, protecting plants from strong sunlight and causing widespread use and promotion in vegetable seedling cultivation. Soil temperature influences plant growth by influencing the chemical and biological processes of carbon and nitrogen in the soil. Regulating soil temperature is crucial for agricultural production.

(II) The Impact of Non-woven Mulch on Soil Water Retention

External meteorological conditions such as temperature, humidity, light intensity, and wind speed are the primary factors influencing soil moisture evaporation. Non-woven mulch can modify the impact of these conditions on the soil. Non-woven mulch can block vertical evaporation, promote lateral moisture migration, increase resistance to evaporation, and inhibit ineffective evaporation, thereby altering diurnal variations in soil moisture. Experiments have shown that non-woven mulch can significantly retain soil moisture at a depth of 10-15 cm. Compared to a control, soil covered with 400 g/m2 of non-woven mulch showed an 18% increase in moisture content. Leveraging its moisture-retaining properties, non-woven mulch not only prevents evaporation but also serves as a storage medium for crops. In practice, crops with high storage stability and low evaporation coefficients, such as beans and tomatoes, can be covered with non-woven fabric to extend their storage life.

(III) The Protective Effect of Non-woven Mulch on Soil Nutrients

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil are essential nutrients for plant growth and development and can be directly absorbed and utilized by plant roots. Mulching with non-woven film can reduce soil erosion by rainwater, increase soil porosity, significantly reduce the loss of available potassium, phosphorus, and alkaline nitrogen, improve fertilizer utilization, and promote plant growth and development. Related experiments have shown that compared to uncovered soil, mulching with non-woven film can reduce soil nitrogen loss by 48.3% and phosphorus loss by 21.6%. Furthermore, mulching with non-woven film can significantly reduce shallow soil salinization, which has positive implications for the restoration of salt-deficient and abandoned land.

(IV) Effects of Non-Woven Fabric Mulching on Soil Microorganisms and Enzyme Activity

Mulching alters soil temperature, moisture, and air permeability, thereby affecting soil enzyme activity and microbial diversity. Experiments showed that compared with clear tillage, soil dehydrogenase activity increased by 75.09% and arylsulfatase activity by 43.32% under non-woven fabric mulch. Furthermore, compared with unmulched soil, soil bacterial abundance increased slightly under non-woven fabric mulch, but the decrease in sugar metabolite content was smaller. In winter melon fields, soil bacterial abundance increased and fungal abundance decreased after non-woven fabric mulch compared with unmulched soil. The bacterial/fungal ratio (B/F) increased by 24.8% compared with unmulched soil.

III. The Multiple Roles of Non-Woven Fabrics in Agricultural Production

(I) Advantages of Non-Woven Mulch as an Effective Agricultural Weed Control Material

Black non-woven mulch has low light transmittance. When applied between crop rows, it hinders effective photosynthesis in weeds, preventing them from synthesizing the organic matter they need for growth and leading to weed apoptosis. Therefore, compared to other colored mulches, black non-woven mulch is a superior weed control material. Data shows that fields covered with black non-woven mulch achieve a weed control rate of 98.2%, a 97.5% improvement over traditional transparent mulch. Trials also found that weed germination and growth were significantly suppressed in fields covered with black non-woven mulch. The net weight of weeds in covered fields was 10.52 grams per square meter, compared to 369.35 grams per square meter in bare fields. This significantly reduces the number of herbicide sprays and the labor required for manual weeding, thereby reducing fertilizer and labor costs during the planting process.

(II) The Impact of Non-Woven Bags on Fruit Quality

Fruit bagging is an important method for producing high-quality fruit. Compared to traditional paper and plastic bags, non-woven bags offer excellent air and light permeability, are inexpensive, promote fruit coloring, and effectively protect against pests, birds, and mechanical damage. Currently, non-woven bags are widely used in fruit production, significantly reducing the incidence of rust and scab on fruit trees and reducing pesticide residues in fruit, thereby ensuring fruit quality. Compared to traditional paper bags, white polypropylene non-woven bags have less fluctuations in temperature and humidity, can moderate light intensity, reduce sunburn, and significantly improve the surface finish of fruit. For example, in Shandong Province, grapes, apples, peaches, pears, and other fruits are bagged with white non-woven fabrics during their growing process. This not only improves the surface finish, fruit weight, and taste of the fruit trees, but also reduces pesticide residues, resulting in higher economic benefits for fruit farmers.

(III) The Promoting Effect of Non-Woven Mulch on Plant Growth and Development

Compared to traditional polyethylene mulch, non-woven mulch, as an environmentally friendly material, not only regulates soil temperature and humidity but also significantly improves the soil microenvironment, increasing soil fertility and thus promoting plant growth and development. Compared to clean tillage, non-woven mulch can increase the fresh weight, plant height, leaf area, and branch length of fruit trees. Related experiments found that peach tree branches grew 7 cm longer when covered with non-woven mulch compared to when not covered. Laying non-woven mulch in straw mushroom cultivation shortened the time it took for mycelium to reach full growth to 9.1 days, 3.3 days shorter than when not covered. The average yield reached 6.21 kg/m2, compared to 4.12 kg/m2 with mulch, a 50.72% increase. Mycelium also grew thicker and denser.

(IV) The Impact of Non-woven Fabrics on Reducing Crop Pest and Disease Incidence

Soil mulch covered with non-woven fabric effectively blocks direct contact between soil pathogens and pests and crops, significantly reducing the spread of pests and diseases and reducing pesticide use. Covering rice with non-woven fabric effectively blocks viral diseases spread by brown planthoppers, preventing the occurrence of rice stripe blight. Research has found that the incidence of rice stripe disease in areas fully covered with non-woven fabric was 7.00%, with a diseased plant incidence of 0.75%. In areas uncovered, the incidence was 19.00%, with a diseased plant incidence of 1.94%. Using non-woven fabric to cover crops like tobacco, tomatoes, and strawberries can effectively reduce the spread of viral diseases by aphids, lowering morbidity and improving overall economic benefits. With increasing attention to food safety and environmental protection, minimizing pesticide use while ensuring crop quality and safety is a key development direction.

IV. Problems and Future Prospects in the Promotion and Application of Polypropylene Non-woven Mulch

my country is the world's largest producer and user of agricultural mulch, with approximately 50 million hectares in use. However, non-woven mulch currently accounts for only 1% of total agricultural mulch use, leaving a vast market and promising prospects. For example, Rizhao City has approximately 476,000 mu (apple, peach, pear, cherry, strawberry, kiwi, blueberry, and other varieties planted), but the use of non-woven mulch is very small, approximately 12,000 mu (apple, peach, pear, cherry, strawberry, kiwi, blueberry, and other varieties planted), primarily in strawberry orchards.

Traditional agricultural mulch films damage and pollute the ecological environment, remaining in the field for decades without degrading. Residual film fragments can cause soil compaction and reduce air permeability, seriously impacting crop growth and yield. Polypropylene non-woven mulch films, on the other hand, eventually degrade into water and carbon dioxide, making them more environmentally friendly. Natural factors such as light, temperature, humidity, microorganisms, and insects are the primary causes of aging and degradation of non-woven mulch films. Aging and cost are the main obstacles to the widespread adoption of non-woven mulch films. Therefore, developing aging-resistant, biodegradable, and low-cost polypropylene nonwovens has become a current research priority. At the same time, increased publicity and financial subsidies for nonwoven mulch films should be implemented to continuously promote the green and sustainable development of my country's agriculture.

In summary, as a green and environmentally friendly agricultural material, the nonwoven fabric industry demonstrates numerous advantages in agricultural production, playing an irreplaceable role in regulating soil physical and chemical properties, improving crop yields and quality, and reducing agricultural non-point source pollution. Although some challenges remain in the promotion process, with continuous technological advancement and policy support, the application of nonwoven fabrics in agriculture will surely become more widespread, injecting strong impetus into the green and high-quality development of my country's agriculture.