La cherry blossoms It usually takes place every year in the period between late March and early April (for most varieties), and usually lasts about 15-20 days. However, keep in mind that flowering dates depend on the weather, especially the cold weather we experience during the winter, and the variety.

 

La Temperature plays a very important role during cherry blossom. Once the required chilling hours have been reached, depending on the variety, flowering will occur as the days get warmer. A study conducted in the Region of Murcia by the Murcian Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Development (IMIDA) in 2014, showed that cherry trees kept in a closed greenhouse, after sufficient cold accumulation, advanced the onset of flowering by 9 to 14 days. This study corroborates the differences in flowering dates in different regions where the end of the winter season is milder in terms of thermal characteristics than in other areas where spring begins with still cold temperatures. The same response can occur in areas with lower altitudes than in others, where cherry trees located on high slopes and peaks tend to bloom later than those grown in valleys.

 

On the other hand, there is a large number of cherry varieties, which are usually grouped into very early, early, mid-late, late, and very late varieties. The former bloom very early, in late winter or early spring, while the latter bloom mid-spring. The Cristobalina variety, ideal for warmer areas because it is less demanding in terms of chilling hours than other varieties, blooms between late February and early March, making it perhaps the earliest variety grown in Spain.

 

This classification of varieties based on flowering time also translates into the same variability in ripening times, with extra-early and very late varieties being particularly attractive, as they would be marketed at times when supplies are not as abundant.

 

Focusing on extra-early varieties, being the first of the year and therefore the most desired, a few days' advance in ripening can mean significant differences in the selling price. But we must also bear in mind the The increasing difficulty of finding labor for harvesting the crop, which is usually done in 4 or 5 passes due to the staggered ripening process, meaning that it does not occur evenly.

 

During the 2018 campaign, the Cultifort Development Department carried out a test with the aim of evaluating the advancement in the maturation and commercial coloration of the cherry, using FASKOLORThe trial, which took place on a plot of land in the municipality of Benitaia, in the Vall de Gallinera region of Alicante, and which included collaboration with the Planes Agricultural Cooperative, yielded the following results:

  • In a first evaluation visit it was possible to see how the trees treated with FASKOLOR presented Around 75% of the fruits with a commercially suitable color and size, while the ripening of the fruits of the trees belonging to the rest of the treatments was still quite delayed.
  • The fruits treated with FASKOLOR showed the more commercially appropriate values in all the parameters analyzed (higher Brix degrees, optimal firmness, mahogany color and larger caliber).
  • In a second evaluation visit, 5 days after the previous one, 100% of the fruits belonging to the treatment with FASKOLOR were at their optimal point of commercial maturity compared to the rest of the treatments, which They had between 40 and 70% ripe fruit.

The good results led to the Fruit Crop Nutrition (NCF) group of the Aula Dei Experimental Station (EEAD-CSIC) carrying out a new essay to FASKOLOR, this time located in La Almunia de Doña Godina (Zaragoza). The results indicated that significant differences were found in the physical-chemical and quality parameters analyzed, demonstrating a positive effect of the treatment. FASKOLOR as for the maturity of the fruit:

  • Firmness of fruit. Greater firmness of the fruits of the control group, indicative of a more delayed state of maturity.
  • Cross gauge. The largest fruits were those treated with
  • Soluble solids. A higher concentration was found in the fruits treated with FASKOLOR.
  • Acidity (malic acid). Higher concentration of malic acid in the fruits that had received the treatment of FASKOLOR.
  • The fruits that had been treated with FASKOLOR recorded a upper weight average to the samples of the control group.
  • Color. Darker shades and higher anthocyanin content. in fruits treated with FASKOLOR.
  • Maturity. Higher percentage of ripe fruit and, on the contrary, a lower percentage of immature fruits in the trees corresponding to the treatment with FASKOLOR.

The overall conclusion of this essay was that FASKOLOR got homogenize and advance commercial maturation, with greater uniformity in fruit color and a reduction in the number of harvesting passes. This not only means improved marketing prices for the fruit, as it reaches the market sooner, but also significant savings in labor costs associated with harvesting.

Now, what is it? FASKOLOR?

 

FASKOLOR It is a liquid formulation of potassium, organic acids and selected peptide complexes, whose special balance It provides a notable increase in the precocity and quality of the fruits.

 

In addition to potassium's role in regulating osmotic activity and increasing sugars and color, a selection of peptide complexes accelerate specific physiological ripening cycles. By accelerating the biology of ripening, fruits can reach the sugar and color levels required by quality standards sooner, allowing for earlier harvesting.

 

In addition, the organic acids contained in FASKOLOR promote a rapid assimilation and translocation in the plant, increasing the effectiveness of applications and improving response.

 

FASKOLOR obtains these results in a way purely nutritional, without hormones, thanks to the nutrients present, which meet the specific needs of fruit ripening.

 

Its application is recommended for crops valued for their fruits, especially in cases where commercial coloring is difficult to achieve, either due to climate, excess production, etc., to obtain attractive fruits and speed up their ripening.

 

The dosage, frequency and number of applications will depend on the crop, its condition and a series of other soil and climate factors, varying from 250 to 500 cc/Hl in foliar applications or 3-5 l/Ha if supplied via the roots through fertigation, and between 2 and 3 applications from veraison and during the month or month and a half prior to the estimated harvest date.

 

The combination with phytoregulatory products enhances their effects and helps reduce the doses applied, improving the cost-effectiveness of this type of treatment.

 

All these functionalities make FASKOLOR un ideal product not only to advance and homogenize ripening in cherries. It has also been used with positive results on blood oranges, peaches, table grapes, strawberries, and processing tomatoes, among other crops.