Feb 21, 2025

Precision Crop Nutrition

Enhancing fruit quality for higher profitability

(Sponsored) For fruit growers, profitability isn’t just about increasing yield — it’s also about improving quality. In today’s competitive markets, the size, sweetness, firmness and harvest timing of fruit directly impacts its value. Crop nutrition, tailored to each stage of growth, enhances fruit quality, leading to higher marketable yields and greater economic returns.

On Feb. 12,Fruit Growers News hosted a webinar with ICL Growing Solutions, featuring Christi Falen, ICL’s Western Agronomy Technical Services Manager, and Dr. Ashley Thompson, Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Oregon State University. During the webinar, they discussed key challenges and results-driven nutrient management — including a soil, root and fruit systems approach. Missed out on the webinar? Here’s some highlights to review.

When various products can work together, as part of a systems approach, each product can play a key role in optimizing growth across the season. From early-season root development to mid-season fruit quality and post-harvest soil health, products like Polysulphate®, Nova ELEVATE™, Nova PULSE™ and Nova FLOW™ can help growers improve the economic potential of fruit crops, focusing on quality over just yield.

• Early season: Nova ELEVATE™ (foliar) and Agrolution pHLow® (fertigation) help establish strong root development, enhance nitrogen efficiency, and optimize flower formation.
• Mid-season: Nova PULSE™ (foliar) provides critical nutrients to enhance nitrogen use efficiency, boost fruit retention, firmness, brix and support uniform growth. Continue fertigating with Agrolution pHLow to meet crop demands with a high nutrient use efficiency.
• Mid to late-season: Nova FLOW™ promotes photosynthesis, yield and quality. A good foliar combination at fruit set is Nova PULSE and Nova FLOW together.
• Mid to late-season: Nova FINISH™ can be applied by fertigation or foliar and provides high potassium levels to finish the season strong for yield and quality.

Additionally, early spring and post-harvest applications of Polysulphate® support soil health and nutrient replenishment. The gradual release of potassium, calcium, and magnesium in sulfate form, in orchards, vineyards and berry crops, ensures nutrient sustainability for both the current and future growing seasons.

Extensive field trials have showcased the benefits of precision crop nutrition:

• Honeycrisp apples: Trials in Michigan revealed a 7.5% to 9.5% increase in high-quality good fruit with a reduction in bitter pit incidence when Polysulphate® was incorporated. In New York, Polysulphate also reduced the bitter pit, increasing the good fruit by 28% with higher economic returns.
• Cherries: Research from Oregon State University showed that using Polysulphate® resulted in larger cherry sizes and increased yields, even under challenging environmental conditions.
• Pears: Agrolution pHLow 6-31-31 fertigation increased yield from 45% to 95% and produced firmer pears for better storage potential.
• Gala and Fuji apples: The application of Nova PULSE™ led to a 3 to 4.4% increase in fruit weight, contributing to higher yields and profitability.
• Nectarines: Fertigation with Agrolution pHLow® combined with Nova PULSE™ resulted in higher Brix levels, improved firmness, and increased fruit marketability.
• Table grapes: Nova PULSE and Nova FLOW showed increased chlorophyll production and yield, resulting in a positive return on investment to the farmer.

Your questions — answered.

Q: How low can we go with application rates of Agrolution pHLow® 6-31-31 combined with Nova PULSE™ to see improved quality and achieve cost benefits?

A: “It depends on your soil. What we showed here, we were putting on nine applications of Agrolution pHLow®, which is only 36 lbs./acre of P₂0₅ and36 lbs./acre of  K₂O that you’re putting on,” Falen said. “It doesn’t require a huge amount because of the high nutrient use efficiency. The total amount and duration of Agrolution pHLow fertigation will depend on the base soil fertility, texture, pH and fixation. Nova PULSE™ was foliarly applied once at fruit set.”

Q: Why are we seeing a faster increase in brix with Nova FLOW™ and Nova FINISH™ to the grower standard?

A: “Nova FLOW™ and Nova FINISH™ higher potassium levels to enhance sugar production, plus a good blend of other nutrients for healthy plants.” Falen said. “They were applied foliar with  good uptake, for a quicker response.”

Q: How many applications did you make, fertigation and foliar?

A: “It depends on the trial of what we’re putting on. On the pears, it was nine fertigations of Agrolution pHLow® 6-31-31. The cherries had one foliar application of Nova PULSE™ and nine fertigations of Agrolution pHLow,” Thompson said.

© ICL 2025