Evaluation of the Loss of Mechanical Quality of Three Natural Fibers as Alternative Supports in the Agricultural Production of Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

The objective of this study was to determine the quality loss rate of the mechanical properties maximum load, Young's modulus, and elongation at break of natural fibers of fique, cotton, and banana stalk, which were used as vertical supports in pea production. The quality loss of natural fiber properties was determined every 15 days for three months in crop conditions. The results were compared with those for polypropylene fiber, currently used in these agricultural production systems. The degradation kinetics for each mechanical property were mathematically modeled, and the kinetic parameters for each fiber were estimated. The banana-stalk fiber showed higher quality loss rates in most of the mechanical properties, and it could be discarded as vertical support in pea crop. However, the cotton and fique fibers presented lower and similar quality losses, and they could be used as an alternative to polypropylene in production systems of this type of crops. © 2019 Centro de Informacion Tecnologica. All rights reserved.