- A 10-day advance in full flower will not translate into 10 fewer days to harvest, but probably into about 5 to 6 days, while in a season with very good cold accumulation, a 20-day advance in full flower could translate into about 10-12 fewer days to harvest.
- For the research carried out, 50% hydrogenated cyanamide (CH) and alternative dormancy breakers (RD) (Fiore® and Erger®) were used in the 2015/2016 season of the Santina variety. (*Table 2)
A study carried out by the Avium team, in relation to the impact of dormancy breakers on the advance of the harvest and concentration of flowering, aimed to evaluate the different strategies to verify whether it is possible to achieve a homogenization of the initial phenological states of the cherry and eventually a significant advance in the harvest, which would result in greater profitability in production.
“The use of dormancy breakers responds to different objectives proposed from a productive point of view. It is very familiar with advancing phenological states, such as flowering, setting, and harvest, mainly for early varieties and in early areas to advance or partialize part of the surface of an orchard, in the case that there is a large area, and also to advance or synchronize varieties that need to be pollinated with another variety.” said Carlos Tapia, Director of Avium.
This is why, during the 2015/16 season, they evaluated the use of hydrogenated cyanamides and alternative dormancy breakers, both each product alone and in sequence. The study was carried out on Santina, a variety that, although considered early in Chile, is actually mid-season, with a significant chilling requirement of around 700 hours or more.
Application of Fiore® and Erger® advanced the attainment of full flower (80% of open flowers) by 8 days compared to the control, while hydrogenated cyanamide was consistently the one that accelerated the process the most, considering each product alone: 10 days (Figure 2). However, the greatest impact was achieved when using the products in tandem (treatments 4 and 5), since full flowering was reached 20 days earlier than the control. It is important to highlight that the research was carried out in a year with little cold accumulation.
“Among the products, Chile has always been more familiar with the use of hydrogenated cyanamide, which has a great benefit in achieving an advance in the phenological states per se. It is the product whose main characteristic is to advance, however, a little over a decade ago, alternative RDs appeared in Chile. Today, commercially, they are Erger®, Fiore® and Syncron®, which in some way supplement the action of these RDs. However, the great advantage generated by the use of these alternatives is mainly the capacity for homogenization or synchrony in the phenological states of flowering, beginning of flowering.” Tapia added.
In relation to the dynamics of the flowering period, it is essential to have a sustained flowering and to be able to concentrate the flowers in the shortest possible time and thus have a greater possibility of achieving better pollination and subsequent fruit set, always in accordance with the climatic characteristics of this moment. However, during the research, in terms of obtaining a concentration of flowering (figure 3), hydrogenated cyanamide did not generate a positive effect on the control. In this variable, the other dormancy breakers are more effective, since they do shorten the distance between the beginning and end of the flowering curve thanks to their mode of action related to nutritional factors, since the mode of action of CNH is of the “abrasive” type in the tissues.
Finally, it should be noted that all dormancy breakers have an effect on early flowering, colour and harvest date compared to the control. However, the choice of strategy will depend on the priority assigned to the concentration of flowering, the advance of flowering and the degree of intensity desired in this advance.
“Today, with a lot of information on this subject, we can conclude that hydrogen cyanamide alone generates a great action on the lifting of phenological states and alternative RDs, they have a great participation in synchrony, rather than in advancement.” the expert emphasized.
