The fruit sector is under a huge amount of pressure due to the limitation of most plant protection products and climate change creating more stress for the trees.

A theme that is commonly put forward in light of this, is plant resilience and how to increase it. Silicon and other micronutrients are increasingly recognised as stress-reducing compounds, and Roam Technology’s silicon based biostimulant Sili-Fert P fits perfectly in this story.

The challenge:

Plants experience stress at almost every moment, either caused by pathogens or by abiotic factors. Reducing it, is very important to optimise fruit yield and quality. Our foliar biostimulant Sili-Fert P can help achieve this and was therefore tested in this case at an apple grower in the Netherlands.

Our solution:

The trial was performed on 6 years old apple trees from the variety Junami and Sili-Fert P was tested on 1 ha, next to 1 ha control area where no Sili-Fert P was used. A tailor-made spray application scheme was applied. Only when other products were sprayed, Sili-Fert P was included in the scheme hence the grower did not have to implement separate applications thereby saving time.

Firstly, these spray applications resulted in an increased hardness of the apples (Fig. 1). Moreover, the yield was higher after Sili-Fert P treatment resulting in only 2 harvest moments compared to 3 in the untreated area (Fig. 2). This is a huge advancement for the growers’ time management.

Additionally, the brix value of the apples and the fruit weight increased significantly, and the general appearance improved. Trees looked greener and more healthy, and they suffered less from sunburn. This is thanks to the fact that the use of Sili-Fert P increases pigment production, leading to less damage by UV light.

Fig. 1: Hardness of the apples from the untreated and treated trees.

Fig.2: Fruits ready for picking at different harvest moments for the untreated and treated trees (sum of the different harvest moments = 100%).

Article Source: Revitalise your orchard – the use of Sili-Fert P for next-level apple quality – Roam Technology

If you are based in New Zealand and interested in learning more about Sili-Fert P contact:

Grant Beare:

Phone: +64 (0)21 020 08040  or  0800 338 2436

E-mail:  grant@educhem.co.nz

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