A recent trial with manvert silicone in Chile demonstrates its great effectiveness in quality measurements and in a significant increase in production.
Cherries with a high Brix content, firm, with good color, with green pedicels, large size, with a high percentage of dry matter and resistant to splitting. We are talking, almost almost, about the perfect cherry. This is what any Chilean cherry producer is looking for. And the aforementioned are some of the key parameters that must be taken into account to obtain optimal quality in this crop to achieve the best possible marketing.
Markets are demanding. Increasingly so. They demand quality fruit, perfect fruit, and fruit that can be kept in perfect condition for as long as possible.
It is already known that to increase these quality parameters, which are essential for any cherry producer, one of the elements most used and recommended by specialists is silicon. In fruit trees, the application of a high concentration silicon product has become the great ally to achieve a significant improvement in the quality and post-harvest life of the fruit.
One of the products with the highest concentration of assimilable silicon in solution is manvert silikon (30% p/p and 36%p/v). The results that this biostimulant has achieved around the world can be summarized in a notable improvement in the quality of the fruit and its post-harvest life, so that the application of this product in these crops translates into a considerable increase in profitability.
A recent trial carried out in Chile in 2022 again yielded very remarkable results. The trial was carried out in a 2018 orchard in the commune of Romeral, Curicó Province, in the Maule Region, on Regina variety cherries and MaxMa rootstock.
The test compared a control with a treatment called pre-harvest, with 2 applications of manvert silikon (at the time of the fruit with 12 mm and in straw-colored fruit – 18 mm), and another treatment called pre-harvest + veraison, which consisted of 3 applications (the first two the same as the previous treatment plus another application when the fruit is in the veraison stage).
After the harvest, various measurements were taken and the qualitative leap that had been demonstrated in the treatments with manvert silikon was evident.
Results
The condition of the pedicel at harvest was one of the parameters analysed. With the two manvert treatments, higher percentages of first-class pedicels were achieved, which were more hydrated, as shown in the following image:
The size distribution also changed with the applications of manvert silikon. Both the treatment with two applications and the one with three applications generated size curves shifted to the right, i.e., towards the largest sizes. The average number of fruits in the control treatment is in size J, while in T1 and T2 it is between sizes J and SJ. Test graph:
The colour concentration was also much more evident in the treatments with manvert silicone. Dry matter was also measured, which went from 20.4% in the control to 22.3% in the manvert treatment with 3 applications.
With regard to resistance to cracking, large differences were again observed between the control and the manvert treatments. Thus, after 6 hours of immersion of the fruit samples in demineralized water, it was observed that the control presented a significantly higher percentage of cracked fruits (28%) than the manvert treatments (with 20 and 14% after two and three applications, respectively).
In the following graph we can observe the data for these last two parameters:
The increase in quality parameters was very evident. But another interesting fact also came to light: cherry production per plant and per hectare increased by 22% in both treatments with manvert silikon compared to the control: going from figures like 15 kg/plant in the control to 18.6 kg/plant in the manvert pre-harvest + veraison treatment (as a result of the increase in size and dry matter). In hectares, this data means going from 14,440 kilos per hectare in the control to more than 17,000 kg/ha in the treatment with manvert silikon. The data are collected in the following graph:
This new test once again demonstrates that manvert silikon is an essential product for increasing the quality and productivity of Chilean cherries. Its high concentration, its mode of action and its technology are the key to its great effectiveness. Manvert silikon is manufactured using the proprietary Neovert Tech technology, which achieves a higher concentration, better coverage and better penetration of the product into the different tissues of the plant.
The manvert brand
Manvert is the brand name of Biovert products, a Spanish company dedicated to the research, manufacturing and marketing of biostimulation and advanced plant nutrition solutions for productive agriculture. Since 1988, its goal has been to offer solutions that generate benefits, that is, innovative, effective and low environmental impact solutions to maximize crop yield and quality. With a presence on 4 continents, Manvert products are also available in Chile.
