Application of coir-based agro-textiles in vegetable crop cultivation: Physical properties, field performance, and farmer acceptability

Introduction

Vegetable cultivation is essential for food and nutritional security, income generation, and livelihood sustainability, particularly in agrarian regions of India. However, vegetable production systems face several challenges, including water scarcity, soil degradation, excessive weed growth, and increasing reliance on chemical inputs and plastic-based agricultural materials. Although plastic mulches and synthetic nursery products are widely used, their nonbiodegradable nature leads to soil contamination and disposal-related environmental problems. Consequently, there is an urgent need for sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives that enhance crop productivity while reducing environmental impact. Agro-textiles, a key segment of technical textiles, have gained importance due to their ability to improve soil conditions, conserve moisture, regulate temperature, and protect crops throughout the growth period. India, with its strong agricultural base and abundant natural fibre resources, offers significant potential for the adoption of biodegradable agro-textiles in vegetable cultivation. However, the widespread use of synthetic agro-textiles has raised concerns regarding long-term soil health and environmental sustainability, emphasizing the need for natural fibre-based solutions. Among natural fibres, coir-based agro-textiles present a promising alternative due to their biodegradability, renewability, and functional suitability. Coir fibre, derived from coconut husk, possesses high lignin content, excellent moisture retention capacity, resistance to microbial degradation, and durability under wet conditions. These characteristics make coir suitable for agricultural products such as mulch mats, seedling trays, seedling bags, and vegetable growing pots. Blending coir with jute fibre, known for its high tensile strength, flexibility, and hygroscopic nature, further improves the mechanical stability and performance of agro-textile products, making coir-jute blends particularly suitable for sustainable vegetable cultivation. Coir and coir-jute based agro-textiles provide multiple agronomic benefits, including moisture conservation, temperature moderation, weed suppression, improved soil structure, and enhanced root aeration. Earlier studies have reported improvements in crop yield, soil properties, and www.extensionjournal.com water-use efficiency using jute and coir agro-textiles (Adhikari et al., 2016, Bhavani et al., 2017; Dewi et al., 2024) [1,5,7] . However, systematic evaluations under realfield conditions, particularly addressing physical properties, field performance, and farmer acceptability, are limited. Therefore, the present study evaluates the physical and morphological properties of coir-based and coir-jute blended agro-textile products and examines their field performance and acceptability among farmers in vegetable crop cultivation. The findings aim to support the adoption of biodegradable agro-textiles as sustainable alternatives to plastic-based materials in Haryana, India.

Review of Literature

Agro-textiles have emerged as an important technological intervention for improving agricultural productivity while promoting environmental sustainability. Several studies conducted in India and across the world have highlighted the role of agro-textiles in conserving soil moisture, regulating temperature, suppressing weeds, and enhancing crop growth. Beena and Anil(2011) [4] reported the effectiveness of coir nonwoven bio-rolls and basket liners in promoting rapid root growth and improving aeration and moisture retention. Sornapudi and Kyatam (2024) [16] . emphasized the usefulness of natural fibre-based ground covers for long-term weed control and moisture conservation, reducing dependency on chemical herbicides. Natural fibres such as coir and jute have gained attention due to their biodegradability and functional advantages. Coir fibre is known for its high lignin content, durability under wet conditions, excellent moisture retention, and ability to improve soil aeration and structure (Bhavani et al., 2017;Mahish and Nayak, 2017) [5,10] . Jute fibre, owing to its tensile strength, hygroscopic nature, and soil-conditioning properties, has been widely used for mulch mats, erosion control, and nursery applications (Adhikari et al., 2016; Mridha et al., 2025) [1,13] . Studies have shown that coir-jute blends combine the advantages of both fibres, offering better flexibility, durability, and performance compared to single-fibre agro-textiles (Islam et al., 2019) [8] . Numerous field studies have demonstrated the positive impact of agro-textile products on crop production. Jute and coir mulch mats have been reported to significantly improve soil moisture retention, reduce soil erosion, suppress weed growth, and enhance yields in crops such as tomato, chilli, broccoli, capsicum, groundnut, banana, and maize ( [6,5,9] . Nonwoven agro-textiles were also found to regulate soil temperature and create favourable microclimatic conditions, resulting in early crop maturity and improved yield (Ansary et al., 2021; Sharma et al., 2022) [3,14] . Despite the proven agronomic benefits, the adoption of natural fibre-based agro-textiles remains limited. Farmer awareness, usability, cost-effectiveness, and field-level performance play a crucial role in adoption decisions (Singh et al., 2025) [15] . Moreover, limited studies have simultaneously evaluated the physical properties, field performance, and farmer acceptability of coir-based and coir-jute blended agro-textile products under real-field conditions. Therefore, the present study aims to bridge this gap by systematically assessing coir-based agro-textiles for vegetable crop cultivation.

Materials and Methods

Study Area: Experiments were conducted in Haryana, India (Hisar, Sirsa, Khanpur, Barwala, Adampur, Nanakpur, Rtakhera, FarmaiKalan) to represent diverse agro-climatic conditions and soil types.

Fibre and Product Development

Coir (100%) and coir-jute blends (50:50 and 70:30) were used to develop mulch mats, seedling bags, seedling trays, and vegetable pots at NITRA Technical Campus, Ghaziabad, and College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Hisar.

Physical and Morphological Analysis

Fibres were evaluated for length, fineness, elongation, moisture content, wax content, and tenacity. SEM analysis was performed to study surface morphology.

Field Testing

Tomato and brinjal crops were grown to assess soil health, water retention, crop yield, weed density, and farmer acceptability.

Antimicrobial Activity

Products were tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiellapneumoniae to evaluate potential microbial resistance. Table 4shows the weight loss (%) and tensile strength reduction (%) of coir and coir-jute blend agro-textile products after a 21-day field trial. Coir (100%) mulch mats showed the highest degradation with a 13.6% loss in weight and 63.63% reduction in tensile strength, whereas seedling trays exhibited the least reduction (11.5% and 33.33%, respectively). In coir-jute 50:50 and 70:30 blends, mulch mats again had the highest degradation, and seedling trays the least. These findings highlight the varying durability of products, guiding their selection for specific agricultural applications. [11,8] . Degradation over 21 days showed faster breakdown in mulch mats than seedling trays, which is desirable for gradual soil integration while maintaining tray integrity for seedlings. Similar biodegradation patterns in coir and jute products have been reported by Das et al. (2017) [6] and Kundu et al. (2019) [9] . [5,14] . High farmer acceptability reflects recognition of these products' durability, biodegradability, and environmental benefits, supporting previous findings on adoption of ecofriendly agro-textiles (Singh et al., 2025) [15] . Overall, the 70:30 coir-jute blend offers an optimal balance of strength, biodegradability, and field performance, promoting sustainable vegetable cultivation. Future studies should explore long-term trials and large-scale economic feasibility.

Results

Conclusion

The present study confirms that coir-based agro-textiles, especially coir-jute blended products, are effective and sustainable alternatives to conventional agricultural materials in vegetable crop cultivation. The use of these agro-textiles improved soil moisture retention, soil health, crop yield, and weed suppression while reducing environmental impact. Among the tested materials, the coirjute (70:30) blend showed the best overall field performance, providing an optimum balance of strength, durability, and biodegradability. Physical property evaluation and SEM analysis supported the functional efficiency of the developed products, indicating good fibre bonding, structural stability, and suitability for nursery and field applications. The positive response and high acceptability among farmers further demonstrate the practical feasibility and adoption potential of coir-based agro-textiles. Overall, the study highlights the potential of coir and coir-jute agro-textiles to promote sustainable vegetable production by enhancing productivity while maintaining soil and environmental health.

Funding sources

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

References

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