Biodegradable twines in horticulture: Greenhouse test tomato - contact with dealers and composters

Lenzing produces Lyocell twine from wood residuals from renewable certified forests in Europe. In a semicommercial greenhouse experiment there was no breakage of the twine in 162 plants with heavy trusses. This biodegradable twine keeps its strength in a moist greenhouse and can support a weight of up to 18 kg when the load is slowly increased. In this experiment, the weight of the plant stems with 9 trusses of fruit actually hanging on the twine was maximal 6.5 kg. The biodegradability is apparent as twines resting in free water disintegrate within 4-6 weeks in a greenhouse situation. Discolouration of the twines does not affect the strength as twines in a 10 month crop had a similar breaking strength as new twines. The use of biodegradable twines during the composting process creates a great improvement in the processing and quality of the compost. There is increasing interest in the use of plastic free materials both from an economic and environmental standpoint.