Dehydration, fruit splitting and water stress- all are problems for farmers in summer crops

The summer months are the most stressful environmental factors for crops due to a greater presence of sun and an increase of temperature that raise the level of plant stress due to the strong heat.

Ecoculture Biosciences proposes responses to these abiotic stress situations by combining four of its solutions.

Dehydration and fruit splitting are two of the major problems faced by farmers in the increasingly frequent summer crops throughout the country and against which the company Ecoculture Biosciences provides different solutions.

Summer is the most stressful environmental factor for crops, with a greater presence of sun and an increase of temperatures that raise the stress suffered by plants due to the strong heat and  radiation that affects those that are found in areas where there is no greenhouse cultivation.

This abiotic stress causes serious problems for farmers such as dehydration of crops, due to lack of water, or cracking of fruits. The high temperatures lead to much faster growth of plants and the appearance of worse physiological problems, as well as situations of water stress, with a greater demand for water that overwhelms the resources.

Both dehydration and cracking are two concerns that can be addressed with CalFlux from Ecoculture Biosciences, whose calcium composition strengthens the plant cell walls in order to prevent these stress symptoms. The combination of zinc and calcium in the same formulation allows the plant to absorb and maintain calcium levels in areas that show deficiency symptoms, as well as preventing tissue collapse.

In addition the use of XStress minimises the negative effects that these stress situations generate, improving the growth of the crop in extreme conditions such as high temperatures, drought or excess light, as well as improving the shelf life of the fruit after harvest and increasing its value throughout the post-harvest period.

Concerning the problems of water stress, the products NHDeltaCa and Slick are the solutions proposed by the company from Almeria, specialists in plant physiology. The first one attacks directly the problem of the roots obtaining a better quality and an optimal yield, reducing at the same time the use of nitrates, while the second one redistributes the water horizontally and keeps the bulb area moist longer, helping to squeeze the full potential of the irrigation system.

The general manager of Ecoculture Biosciences, Angel Ruiz Serna, pointed out that “after several years of testing our products in summer conditions, we are firmly convinced that our cultivation programes based on the application of our technologies are a real solution to the problems that arise from these extremely stressful conditions”.