Sour cherry frost protection at -5C : and fruit drop reduced from 40% to 5%, Hungary.

Growers in Hungary have reported astounding benefits on frost protection and fruit drop after applying CropAid‘s natural biostimulant  AntiFrost®.

Sour cherry frost protection.

What is fruit drop?

Fruit drop refers to the premature shedding or falling off of fruits from plants before they are fully mature or ripe. This phenomenon can occur due to various factors such as environmental stress, disease, pests, inadequate pollination, hormonal imbalance, or nutrient deficiencies.

Cold weather conditions can affect fruit drop in several ways:

1. Frost Damage: Freezing temperatures can cause damage to fruit tissues, leading to the fruits becoming discoloured, soft, and ultimately dropping from the plant.
2. Reduced Pollination: Cold weather can negatively impact pollination activity, particularly for crops that rely on insect pollinators. Reduced pollination can result in poor fruit set and increased fruit drop.
3. Chilling Injury: Some fruit crops are sensitive to low temperatures, even if they don’t experience freezing conditions. Exposure to cold temperatures can lead to physiological disorders in fruits, such as cell damage, water-soaking, and increased susceptibility to pathogens, which can trigger fruit drop.
4. Delayed Ripening: Cold weather can delay the ripening process of fruits, causing them to stay on the plant for a longer period than usual. Extended exposure to adverse weather conditions increases the risk of fruit drop.
5. Hormonal Imbalance: Cold temperatures can disrupt the hormonal balance within the plant, affecting fruit development and retention. This imbalance may lead to increased fruit drop.

What were the results?

“We used AntiFrost® last year in our sour cherry field when the temperatures fell to about -5°C during blossom, twice. The sour cherry would usually experience fruit drop of almost 30-40% before harvest as a result of freezing and binding problems during blossom. However, this year [2021] we didn’t experienced it. The fruit drop was a maximum of 5%.”