Aug 4, 2020

Don’t treat harvest as the season finale

{Sponsored} Growers who see harvest as the ‘season finale’ in managing the agronomy of their orchard and cane fruits could be missing out on the opportunity to maximize yield potential the following season, warns crop nutrition specialist OMEX®.

“Don’t just walk away and shut the gate until next year,” says Stan Clupper, agronomy consultant in Michigan. “It’s logical to think that there’s nothing more to be done after harvest is complete, but the foundation for next year’s harvest is laid now. Growers should be more aware of the need for a managed post-harvest recovery program.

“By managing the plant through the stressful harvest period, and gently easing it into winter dormancy, growers are effectively making an early investment in the success of the 2021 crop,” Clupper explains.

“As fruit is removed, trees are subject to significant stress levels during harvest. Where mechanical harvesting has been deployed, for example in blueberries, vibration can cause considerable damage to root structure, particularly the fragile and sensitive root hairs.”

Any kind of stress is detrimental to a plant’s physiological and biochemical performance, he points out, adding that immediately after harvest is when next year’s fruit buds start to develop.

“Keeping the plant at peak performance during this time should be a grower’s top priority. Anything that limits its ability to take up nutrients – such as damaged root hairs, or conditions that limit photosynthetic efficacy – can have a direct effect on the quality and viability of those developing buds.”

Symptoms of stress often become visible only when the damage has been done; adopting a ‘wait and see’ policy is risky. “Likewise, it’s impossible to ascertain whether or not root hairs are damaged,” Clupper acknowledges.

Clupper recommends a low-cost program designed to repair root hairs and provide the plant with nutrients essential for good bud development and dormancy. The two-stage program begins with an application of LifeOmex® in tank-mix with OMEX® Double Header.

“LifeOmex® is a carefully formulated mix of four cytokinins,” Clupper says, “cytokinin being a plant hormone that stimulates root hair development.

“The phosphite in Double Header, meanwhile, not only has a direct action on root and bud development, but – as phosphite is very active within the plant – also provides an ideal way to ensure that the cytokinins are carried through the plant more quickly than they would otherwise be.”

This combination – ideally applied one to three weeks post-harvest – provides an immediate ‘pick me up’ for the tree, cane or bush. Then, within five weeks of harvest, the program’s second stage aims to set up the plant for dormancy.

“By this time of the year, we’re concerned about energy levels,” Clupper says. “Another dose of LifeOmex® helps keep the roots operating at full capacity, while a combination of potash, phosphate and phosphite again provide the assistance for rapid, efficient translocation.

“Experience shows that this second stage of the program helps prevent winter injury to the plant, often a major problem in the Mid-West once daily temperatures start heading towards zero.”

At a cost of between $35 and $45 per acre, Clupper acknowledges some growers may be skeptical in what’s been a difficult year. “But view it as an investment for next year’s crop, rather than as another input that comes off the bottom line of this year’s,” he says.

“We’ve got growers, not just in the Mid-West but out in California too, who’ve been using this approach for nearly 20 years. They wouldn’t now consider growing a crop without including it. They’re confident in its economic value.”

The program can be used in all crops, whether hand-harvested or mechanically: blueberry, cane, blackberry, red raspberry, tree fruit (including sweet and sour cherries, stone and pome fruit).

Learn more at www.omexusa.com.

The product names and brands referenced here are registered and trademarks of OMEX® Agrifluids, Inc.

© OMEX® Agrifluids, Inc. 2020.