Agricultural plastics technology has been brought to a new level by the US Department of Agriculture and Clemson University with the development of a reflecting red mulch film called Selective Reflecting Mulch or SRM-Red. This material, a thin plastic film, performs like black mulch, warming the soil and retaining moisture, but there is one important difference. When used with tomato crops, SRM-Red has been shown in USDA tests to increase production from 12–20% of first quality early tomatoes when compared to black mulch. This dramatic increase results from the film reflecting far-red light up into the plant. Strawberries also benefit from SRM-Red.