By: Rodrigo Hernández, Brand Manager of Martínez y Valdivieso and Nicolás Silva of Basf.
The cherry tree has become one of the main fruit trees in Chile, reaching almost 49 thousand hectares (according to official figures from the 2021 Census), with the VI and VII regions concentrating approximately 83% of this surface area, since their edaphoclimatic conditions are ideal for achieving the yield, quality and harvest window potentials of our fruit tree.
Cherry exports reached 356,385 tonnes in the 2021/22 season, with the Far East market selling 92.5 % of this volume, with China and Hong Kong being the most important. Such distant markets require the production of fruit in good condition and of excellent quality, with size being a fundamental quality requirement to achieve the best prices. These requirements have been the main axes of action within the agronomic management of cherry trees in recent years, where the profitability of the orchards must be ensured, optimising production costs without harming the condition and quality of the fruit.
The management of vigor and competition is the best example of how to optimize production costs, in the context of increased yields, improved size curve, fruit weight and decreased pruning labor. This explains why orchards with excess vigor, either due to highly fertile soil conditions or vigorous rootstocks such as Lapins or Maxma 60 and 14, do not achieve their full potential, either due to extinction of shoots due to ambush, excess fruit or low sizes due to shoot/fruit competition.
Regalis® Plus is a phytohormone developed by BASF, designed for the management of competition in cherry and pome orchards. When applied foliarly, it inhibits gibberellin biosynthesis, which triggers a decrease in the vegetative growth rate by almost 40%, allowing for a brighter orchard, with larger-sized fruit and greater fruit potential for the following season, which ultimately means a balanced orchard, without having harmful effects for the following season.
In recent seasons, Regalis® Plus has become a fundamental management tool for achieving greater orchard profitability.
The benefits of using Regalis® Plus in cherry orchards are:
-Better fruit quality (caliber)
-Better coverage of foliar applications
-Better fruit condition
-Better management of foliage at height (gardens under tent)
-Better brightness of the darts
-Effects limited in time
-Higher profitability.
Regalis® Plus should be applied in cherry orchards at a dose of 200 grams per 100 liters of water when the shoot is 5-10 cm long or 7 days after full bloom. It does not require acidifier in the pond mix, which makes it easy to use.
In tent gardens, it is possible to apply only to the upper third, since it is a contact product, so its effect is localized to the treated area.
In orchards with excessive vigor, it is possible to complement the first application (7 days after full bloom) with an application immediately after harvest, helping to balance the orchard.
