In an interview with Oliver Carson, grower and co-founder of Grupo Rose, we discover how the implementation of Agralia’s Agricooler system has transformed cherry production on his 45-hectare farm, of which 9 hectares feature Agricooler technology.
With a focus on the accumulation of chill hours and the improvement of plant setting, Carson reveals in his testimony the multiple benefits of this innovative agricultural tool.
Why did you decide to implement Agricooler?
We decided to implement it because we wanted to achieve a more consistent accumulation of Chill Hours every year in the field.
How has Agralia's Agricooler system improved the total number of accumulated chilling hours in its cherry crops?
The product goes far beyond a raschel net because it is a multifaceted tool that not only helps accumulate more chill hours during dormancy, but also helps reduce plant stress and initiate bud cooling at the end of summer. The system has greatly improved our control plots.
Have you noticed any changes in the health of your cherry plants since you started using the Agricooler system?
Yes, in any case, especially in reducing plant stress in March and in the quality of the fruit set.
Have you noticed any difference in harvest time or fruit quality since implementing the Agricooler system in your cherry crops?
The Agricooler itself is not responsible for advancing the harvest. The concept is to make the plant enter dormancy faster and accumulate more Chill Hours during dormancy. This helps the plant sleep better and allows it to be brought out of dormancy (using breakers) earlier than a plant without Agricooler. This, together with a good accumulation of post-dormancy degree days, has a direct impact on the quality of fruit set and precocity at harvest.
Could you share a concrete example of how the Agricooler system has helped improve the resistance of your cherry plants to adverse weather conditions?
In our field, climate change is becoming visible due to long summers with strong heat waves until March. A concrete example of how the Agricooler has helped us a lot is gradually cooling the environment at the end of summer so that the plant begins to have natural signs that it is time to rest. At first we implemented this Agralia product because we were interested in the issue of the accumulation of Cold Hours in winter, but later we realized that this product brings other benefits as well.
