How to protect crops from extreme summer heat?

Protecting crops from extreme summer heat is essential to prevent quality and yield losses.

High temperatures and solar radiation directly affect plant health, and it's not just about protecting them from a momentary heat stroke, but rather about coping with a more complex and ongoing phenomenon.

Why is it important to protect crops from extreme summer heat?

The sun emits radiation in three main bands:

• Ultraviolet (UV): 295–400 nm

• Visible: 400–700 nm

• Infrared (IR): 700–2500 nm

Although visible light represents 50% of solar energy, 45% is infrared radiation, directly responsible for the temperature increase on surfaces . And although only 5% is UV, this small fraction can break chemical bonds in organic compounds, directly affecting the quality of fruits, leaves, and plant tissues.

What damage does infrared radiation cause to crops?

When IR radiation (especially between 700 and 1100 nm) hits plants, it generates a thermal increase that affects key functions such as:

• Closing of stomata → slows down photosynthesis

• Formation of ROS (reactive oxygen species) → oxidize tissues

• Dehydration → loss of turgor and softening

• Cell rupture → as in the case of oleocellosis in citrus fruits

SILICON: a natural heat shield for your plants

Silicon , especially in its crystalline form or as kaolin, acts as a natural reflective screen :

• It reflects IR radiation and filters UV

• It forms a protective film without staining or altering the taste.

• Reduces leaf temperature

• Improves perspiration regulation

• Strengthens cellular structure

• It delays leaf senescence and extends the productive cycle.

To take full advantage of these benefits, we recommend CULTISiLK , a sunscreen that acts as a natural heat shield for your plants. This product is specially formulated to protect crops from heat, with a high concentration of active silicon. Its foliar application creates an effective barrier that protects your plants from heat stress, improves hydration, and increases their resistance, ensuring healthier and more productive harvests during the hottest months.

In addition, CULTISiLK is easy to apply and does not alter the quality or flavor of the fruits.

How does silicon help protect crops from heat? Agronomic benefits

Real-life success stories: how silicon protects crops from the heat

Olive

Silicon can help protect olive trees from high temperatures and improve their production, especially in regions with hot and dry climates, by improving lipogenesis processes.

The research, published in the scientific journal Scientia Horticulturae , was based on a trial with olive plants grown with and without silicon, with the aim of analyzing what effect the presence or absence of this element has on their development.

The conclusion of the trial was that the absence of silicon did not limit plant growth, but its application did stimulate it, by reducing stress and improving the photosynthetic rate associated with the radiation absorbed by the crop, showing longer stems and a greater number of branches.

In this way, the team proved that silicon is not an essential element for plant growth, as they can survive and develop without it, but it is a beneficial element for their growth by stimulating the absorption of nutrients, particularly potassium and nitrogen , and through the indirect action of potassium, it can improve permeability, osmoregulation and therefore the production of key essential oils to obtain returns on investment.

Citrus

Silicon can help protect citrus fruits from sunburn and improve their performance, especially in climates with strong sunlight, by preventing oleocellosis.

In this regard, the IVIA ( Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research ) certifies that, in order to reduce the additional costs of applying netting, the use of silicon can help prevent or mitigate oleocellosis in citrus fruits by improving the resistance of the fruit's peel and reducing water loss due to cracking caused by temperature changes. Silicon helps strengthen the cuticle of leaves and fruit tissues , which can reduce vulnerability to oleocellosis, a defect that causes oily spots or discoloration on the fruit's peel. As in olive trees, it also improves potassium assimilation, potentially increasing the oil and acid content.

Melon

Silicon can help protect melons from high temperatures and improve their quality, especially in open-field crops, by preventing them from cracking.

In this regard, IMIDA (Murcian Institute for Agricultural Research and Development) certifies that silicon can improve the resistance of melons to sunburn by creating a protective layer on the leaves and fruit, reducing water loss and protecting the chloroplasts . Field studies and commercial applications have demonstrated that the use of silicon in melons drastically reduces sunburn, which in turn leads to higher yields.

Conclusion: Silicon, your best ally to protect crops from the heat

Extreme summer heat can seriously compromise the health and yield of your crops. From loss of turgor to the development of disease processes such as oleocellosis, infrared and ultraviolet radiation directly impact the quality of the final product.

Faced with these challenges, CULTISiLK is a professional, effective, easy-to-apply, economical, and natural solution. Thanks to its ability to reflect infrared (IR) radiation, reduce leaf temperature, and strengthen cell structures, it becomes an essential tool for protecting crops from the heat.

Its advanced formula, based on active silicon, protects plants without altering the flavor or appearance of the fruit, helping you maintain healthy, productive crops prepared to withstand high summer temperatures.