A Mosquito-Proof Fabric Spun Off From Army Research Helped Strawberry Plants Yield Up to 3.5 Times More Fruit
North Carolina State University researchers report that a knitted cover keeps aphids off strawberries while letting light and rain through. It is early-stage work, tested in tunnels rather than on commercial farms.
A textile first explored to make military clothing resistant to mosquito bites may have a second life in the strawberry patch. Researchers at North Carolina State University report that a knitted, three-dimensional cover called Plant Armor blocked insects from strawberry plants and, in tunnel field tests, increased harvestable fruit by up to 3.56 times. The work was published in September 2026 in the journal *Agriculture*.
"The fabric did not impede access to light at all, and fruit production increased significantly." — Gabriel Olawuyi, NC State
What the fabric does
Plant Armor is draped over the plants. Its porous structure lets in sunlight, rain and air while keeping insects out.
- Yield: up to a 3.56-fold increase in harvestable fruit in tunnel tests
- Pests: laboratory tests showed aphids were completely excluded
- Plant health: no difference in plant biomass, and humidity was unaffected
- Timing: covered plants warmed slightly and reached fruiting earlier
Why it matters
Strawberries are often protected with repeated pesticide sprays. A physical barrier could, in principle, reduce how much growers need. The researchers say the technology could cut pesticide and water use, though the paper reports no measurement of those savings, so that remains a hope rather than a result.
Caveats and next steps
"Up to 3.56 times" is a best-case figure, not a typical one, and the experiments ran in tunnels rather than on working farms. Findings about soil microbes were described as preliminary. The authors say on-farm testing is now needed.
The fabric is covered by a U.S. patent that NC State has licensed for commercial development, so growers may eventually get to try it for themselves.
