STINGING nettles, the bane of farmers and growers, could soon be looked at in a new light, as a solution to helping the agricultural industry out of a crisis.

The fibre from special hyrbid nettles, currently grown in Austria and brought into Britain as part of a research into the future of the weed, was a possible alternative to cotton, scientists have revealed.

Designer clothes have already been created using the nettle fibre, and nettles, a prime habitat for butterflies, could have significant environmental advantages, scientists at the non-food crop exhibit said.

Other uses for non-food crops include hydraulic oil from oilseed rape, cannabis fibre a replacement to fibreglass, potato starch for biodegradable food packaging, and other vegetable starches could be used for knives and forks.

Melvyn Askew, of the Central Science Laboratory, said crops could be used for anything from oil through to car components and plastics.

"Many crops, and some weeds, have great potential for industrial use," he said, "and as they can b grown using existing equipment and management techniques, they could fit very easily into existing farm systems and present farmers with valuable new income earning opportunities."