It's time to apply FERKOLOR to citrus fruits. The chelated nutrient for ripening.
FERKOLOR from Cultifort, applied Ferkolor in citrus fruits During ripening, it promotes better quality fruit, with more sugar, better color and greater firmness.
Ripening is the final phase of fruit growth and development, during which a series of morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes occur, aimed at improving organoleptic characteristics (color, flavor, texture, aroma, etc.), ensuring the final product reaches optimal conditions for consumption. After flowering and fertilization, a significant increase in cell division occurs, allowing the fruit to act as a sink for water, nutrients, and other elements. Ripening often coincides, in some crops, with changes in skin color. At this point, chlorophylls are replaced by polyphenols, carotenoids, or other coloring and aromatic compounds.
These aromatic compounds give a characteristic smell to the different varieties of fruit.
On the other hand, the flavor also changes due to the hydrolysis of starches, which transform them into sugars. Its flavor goes from bitter to sweet, while its acidity is also reduced.
The texture also changes, not only due to the hydrolysis of starches but also of pectins, which reduces their fiber content. Furthermore, the degradation processes of cell walls also influence changes in the fruit's firmness, making it more susceptible to damage or alterations during post-harvest handling.
Therefore, the flavor of the fruit is defined by the production of a complex mixture of volatile compounds, in combination with carbohydrates, organic acids and phenolic compounds.
The final quality of the fruit and its post-harvest durability depend on all the operations carried out during cultivation, especially fertilization. Therefore, it is very important to provide adequate nutritional supplements that help improve and delay the tissue degradation and softening processes associated with maturation.
From Cultifort we propose FERKOLOR, the special liquid fertilizer for fruit ripening, which combines nitrogen, potassium, calcium and boron.
El nitrogen It is the element that generally has the greatest influence on growth and production. When this is deficient, the fruit's skin can take on a pale color and its size may decrease, while an excess of this nutrient can increase the thickness of the skin and its moisture content, causing a loss of fruit quality due to the increased susceptibility to degradation caused by pathogens.
El potassium It is especially important for fruit ripening, improving carbon assimilation, increasing sugar content, and reducing starch. Furthermore, this nutrient plays a very important role in osmotic regulation, controlling stomatal opening and closing and, therefore, helping to maintain adequate levels of transpiration and photosynthesis, which are necessary to ensure proper fruit ripening. Numerous experiments have demonstrated its high effectiveness in increasing size, weight, color, and preventing cracking in sensitive citrus varieties, where the optimal K content is between 0.7 and 1.0%.
Figure 2. Wealth of the components of FERKOLOR (Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium, Boron and the chelating agent EDTA)
El Calcium It is associated with the structure of the cell wall, of which it forms a part as calcium pectate, located in the intercellular layer. As a bioelement, it performs functions such as regulating nitrogen absorption, acting in the transport of sugars and proteins within the plant, increasing the resistance of cell membranes, participating in the plant's water economy by regulating the movement of water in the cells, etc. It plays a relevant role in the ripening and storage processes of fruits. Therefore, pre-harvest calcium applications help maintain firmness during transport and storage.
El Boron It is a multifunctional element with a very important role in regulating the transport of sugars, carbohydrates, and potassium. It forms complexes with sugars, thus facilitating their circulation through the plant. It also increases the synthesis of glucose, which is the main sugar transported by plants. Furthermore, in addition to participating in nitrogen metabolism and protein formation, it acts as a hormonal regulator (gibberellic acid being particularly important in this regulation of hormone synthesis).
Calcium and boron They are essential for cell division and cell wall synthesis. Both elements mutually enhance their translocation within the plant.
Numerous field trials conducted with FERKOLOR, applied during ripening, confirms its excellent performance, enhancing the quality of the fruit, both in its physical properties: size, uniformity, weight, and texture; and in its organoleptic qualities: flavor (sugar content), color, and aroma.
In addition, it presents a excellent synergy with the biostimulant BVC 2021, by improving the size and foliage of the new fall growth.
Ultimately, the use of FERKOLOR it translates into:
- An increase in sugar content
- Better skin quality and fruit consistency
- Increased resistance to post-harvest degradation
- More vivid coloration of the fruits
- An increase in crop yield
