Chile is considered one of the main cherry exporting countries worldwide, supplying mainly the Asian market. Chilean cherries must travel great distances and withstand long storage periods.
In this context, calcium plays a fundamental role, since its main function is to strengthen the membranes, giving resistance and structure to the cell wall, granting a better firmness and texture to the cherries. In addition, by maintaining the cellular integrity of the fruit, it manages to prolong the quality and condition of the cherries for a longer period of time, thus meeting the requirements of foreign markets.
One of the most commonly used calcium fertilizers to meet the nutritional requirements of cherry trees is calcium nitrate. However, IBITERRA presents an excellent option to meet the calcium requirements of cherry trees. IBISOIL CA FLOW is a highly concentrated calcium fertilizer (35% w/w CaO), free of salts (it does not contain carbonates, sulphates, nitrates or chlorides) and easy to apply via a technical irrigation system. IBISOIL CA FLOW is designed as an immediate source of calcium that allows for fruits with better construction, firmness and longer post-harvest life. In this way, the export fruit reaches the quality required for the most demanding markets. In addition, IBISOIL CA FLOW is capable of improving the soil structure by promoting the absorption of water and nutrients, generating an optimal environment for the development of strong and healthy roots.
IBITERRA, with the aim of demonstrating the efficiency of IBISOIL CA FLOW in the absorption and assimilation of calcium in cherry trees, carried out the following study with the Montefrutal Innovation Center. The trial was conducted in a commercial orchard of Lapins variety cherry trees that was in full production, located in the commune of Sagrada Familia, Maule Region, Chile.
This evaluation was carried out under a completely randomized experimental design, establishing the application of two treatments on trees with similar productive potential at the beginning of the season. Treatment T0 involves the application of 150 kg/ha of calcium nitrate and treatment T1 involves the application of 60 kg/ha of IBISOIL CA FLOW. The dose of both treatments was equally divided into two phenological states, full flowering and fruit set.
It is important to highlight that the treatment with calcium nitrate provides 39 units of calcium per hectare, while the treatment with IBISOIL CA FLOW provides 21 units of calcium per hectare, which means a reduction of 47% of the calcium units applied.
Figure 1 shows the foliar calcium content after the application of both treatments (11-10-22), observing that the plants treated with IBISOIL CA FLOW had a significantly higher foliar calcium content compared to the calcium nitrate treatment.
Regarding the productivity and quality of the cherries, there were no significant differences between the treatments. That is, the application of a smaller quantity of calcium units through IBISOIL CA FLOW compared to the calcium units delivered by the application of calcium nitrate did not negatively affect the productivity and quality of the fruit. Table 1 presents the quality parameters analyzed at the time of harvest, observing that the firmness, weight and content of soluble solids in the fruit were not statistically influenced by the treatments.
Figure 2 shows the results of the nutritional analysis of the fruit at harvest, where the application of IBISOIL CA FLOW significantly increased the dry matter content and slightly increased the calcium content in the fruit. In relation to the bound calcium content in the fruit, both treatments presented a concentration of 3.1 mg/100 g smf.
When analyzing the costs associated with the application of both treatments, it is observed that the application of calcium nitrate has a cost of U$135 per hectare, while when using IBISOIL CA FLOW the total cost per hectare is U$111, meaning a saving of 17.8%.
Finally, it is important to highlight that IBISOIL CA FLOW presents greater efficiency in the absorption and assimilation of calcium by the plant, being an excellent option to meet the calcium requirements of cherry trees.
Using IBISOIL CA FLOW produces cherries with the desired export quality, improving the structure and post-harvest life of the fruit.
