Protecting your crops from the summer heat
As the summer months approach, it’s important to be prepared to protect your crops.
If possible, transplant any plants before the heat sets in. Make sure to water them thoroughly and regularly for several weeks after planting. Placing them in the shade can help them survive the summer better than if they were transplanted to full sun.
Irrigation needs will increase in the hotter months, and many growers will turn to overhead sprinkling systems. These systems can help protect fruit from high temperatures and sunlight, but they can also raise the risk of foliar diseases and use up to 40% more water than normal. It’s important to test the water for minerals to avoid toxicity, and to ensure that it does not harbor plant pathogens. Over-irrigation should be avoided as it can be the #1 cause of tree loss.
Overhead netting has become a popular crop-cooling method in Europe. The brightly-colored netting, made from a durable polypropylene, reduces sunburn and temperatures and also offers protection from birds, wind, and hail. It can also provide worker safety benefits by shielding them from the sun’s rays. Washington State University is currently conducting a study to examine how different colors of netting affect sunburn and stress in trees.
Mulching is also a great way to protect trees and berry plants. Compost, composted manure, raked leaves, dried grass clippings, or any other organic material, such as bark, can be used. It helps retain moisture and creates cooler microenvironments at the base of the plant.
It’s also important to pair crops that do better in acidic soil (pH 4 to 5.5) with a mulch made from acidic material. This will reduce the soil pH and benefit the growth of these crops.
If possible, avoid pruning plants and trees during the heat of summer. If it must be done, make sure to provide extra fertilizer and water to the plant afterwards. Only prune on comparatively cool days when the forecast calls for cooler temperatures in the following 3 to 4 days.
Light-reflecting materials, like kaolin clay, calcium carbonate, talc, or commercial products like RAYNOX and Surround WP, can also be applied to the tree canopy to protect leaves and fruit from high UV light and heat. White latex paint can be applied to the trunks of young trees in order to reflect sunlight and reduce injury from sun burn.
Finally, fertilizing can be an effective safeguard against heat stress. Young and newly-planted fruit trees and berry plants can be fertilized if they appear to be suffering in the summer heat, while more mature fruit trees and berry plants should be fertilized more sparingly to avoid harming the fruit. Vegetables can be fertilized on a regular basis during the summer.
sthenos
SOLAR PROTECTOR AND ANTIOXIDANT
sthenos is a suspoemulsion (SE) of complexed calcium and other compounds with photoprotective and antioxidant properties, developed to protect fruit from sun exposure. sthenos reduces oxidative damage and lowers the surface temperature of fruit, thereby reducing the risk of production and post-harvest quality losses due to over-exposure to solar radiation.
The Lfb complex acts on the surface of the fruit in three ways: blocking radiation thanks to a screen formed of a colorless layer of inorganic particles, absorbing energy through organic solar filters so that it does not spread in the fruit, and mitigating the effect of solar radiation through antioxidants and vitamins.
Osmoplant
OSMOLIYTES AND AMINO ACIDS FOR WATER STRESS
osmoplant is a liquid biostimulant that improves the plant’s tolerance mechanisms against limited water resources, providing a more effective stress response, increasing the plant’s photosynthetic activity, and boosting crop production and quality.
osmoplant is composed of specific osmoprotectant amino acids, potassium, and other compounds that regulate cellular water and osmotic balance.
These compounds create a strong biostimulating and osmotic compound that makes the product highly effective.
