Trials confirmed that Vitazyme® achieved greener pedicels, better size distribution, more homogeneous harvests and better color.
Cherry production involves a series of challenges, including achieving fruit of the best possible quality, that is, meeting standards of ripeness, size, color, among others.
In this constant search, Syngenta, a leading company in science-based agricultural technology, makes Vitazyme® available to the industry, a plant biostimulant that contains biological activators obtained through fermentation processes. It is a great tool composed of active agents that include microelements, enzymes and growth promoters, including vitamin-B, triacontanol and brassinosteroids.
“This product is different, for example, from those in the sanitation line, such as insecticides or fungicides, where there is an active ingredient that controls the insect; in this case, they are mixtures of different compounds, some of natural origin, vitamins, such as vitamins B1, B2, B6, and Potassium. In other words, it is a compound that has different biological actors that are the product of fermentation processes and capable of generating different effects, depending on the date of application,” explained Claudia Muñoz, Crop Manager of Syngenta Fruits.
Vitazyme® has been part of Syngenta Biologicals' portfolio for over 12 years. Its use in cherry trees is indicated within a management program to contribute to the condition of the plant, as it allows to activate, accelerate and improve metabolic processes. Problems such as ripening, color, pedicel condition, etc., can be improved with this product.
“Biostimulants are much more versatile, you can apply them at the beginning, middle and end of the season.”, Vitazyme®, is highly compatible, has no deficiency unlike chemical products; the great advantage of Vitazyme® is that you can apply it in all stages of crop development, interacting with the different physiological cycles of the crop.”, Syngenta clarifies.
Various studies support the excellent results of Vitazyme®; the most recent ones were carried out by Dr. Karen Sagredo, Academic of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Chile, who evaluated the effect of different application strategies of Vitazyme® from flower to veraison, on fruit drop and fruit quality.
The trial was carried out in a Regina variety orchard located in Los Niches, Curicó, Maule region, during the 2021-22 season; a control and different application times were used at a single concentration per application.
This trial concluded that Vitazyme® applications during flowering improve performance in terms of production. In general, when they are spaced every 14 days, they seem to be more effective in setting. Early applications, from flowering, are especially recommended for self-incompatible varieties such as Kordia and, in addition, applications during flowering are also recommended for hot areas or conditions during flowering, since they would favor PPE by prolonging the “life” of the flower.
In turn, a second study, previously carried out by Karen Sagredo, evaluated the effect of different Vitazyme® application strategies on improving the size and quality of cherries. It was carried out in an orchard in Regina, in the Los Niches sector during the previous season (2020-21) and also yielded favorable results.
“It was concluded that early application treatments (first 4 weeks after full flower) are favorably complemented by late applications at the cell elongation stage, while Applications from 14 to 28 ddpf have advantages over those from 7 to 21 ddpf: in caliber and luminosity variables, Claudia Muñoz, Crop Manager of Syngenta Fruits, summarized
In addition, it was established that the treatment 14 to 28 ddpf, followed by a pale green treatment for 10 more days, is the one that achieves the best effects on fruit size; the cracking of these is reduced by the treatments with Vitazyme® and there are better responses when the second application is carried out in veraison,
“If we want to have flower vitality, keeping them receptive for longer, and therefore improving their fertilization, we can start with early applications; but if we want to improve fruit quality and size, we should apply later, from 14 to 28 days ddpf. The results obtained have proven that the improvement in size does not affect other quality variables, such as firmness, soluble solids, or acidity of the fruit.” said Claudia Muñoz.
A third study aimed to evaluate the effect of Vitazyme® on the longevity of floral organs and consisted of studying the applications of the product from early white buds under controlled conditions, i.e. in a laboratory. For this purpose, branches were collected from a healthy orchard with no history of production problems.
“The Vitazyme® product was applied, allowing us to visualize its effect on prolonging the life of the flowers by monitoring their appearance over time. Every one or two days, photographs were taken of the twigs in each of the blocks and the number of buds and open flowers was counted. They were then classified according to the condition of these flowers: turgid, beginning to wilt, if they were brown, with fallen petals. A scale was created to evaluate wilt indices and finally several very important conclusions were reached that reaffirm the effectiveness of Vitazyme®.” explained Muñoz, Crop Manager of Syngenta Fruits.
The application of Vitazyme® also contributes to maintaining the good condition of the pedicel; this was confirmed by a study carried out by the company CER (2019), which evaluated the effect of this product on the quality of the fruit and condition of the pedicel in the Bing variety.
Finally, regarding the use of Vitazyme®, 3 to 4 applications of 1.5 L/ha should be made every 7 to 10 days, from the beginning of flowering 10 to 15 ddpf.
