Asparagus growing procedure uses opaque plastic tunnel cloche with weighted edges, fitted by tractor-mounted or towed implement

摘要

The procedure consists of covering the asparagus plants (10) with a tunnel cloche made from opaque plastic film (20) which absorbs heat and creates a greenhouse effect. The lengthwise edges (26) of the film are hemmed and weighted, and it is fitted over a series of arches (22) and removed for harvesting by a tractor-mounted or towed implement with a series of horizontal rollers set at right angles to the direction of travel and having an inverted V formed by two rollers at the back. At least one of the rollers is driven to move the film towards the rear by friction.