An Eye On Color: Increasing Packout Potential With Fall Applications Of ProTone Plant Growth Regulator
August 24, 2011 At this point in the season, California red table grape growers start keeping an even closer watch on the coloring and quality of their crop. With market prices trending higher, growers are looking for every edge to ensure that their harvest is as marketable and profitable as possible. For many, ProTone® Plant Growth Regulator helps ensure they pack out even more boxes of ideally colored grapes.
“California growers certainly know how to grow quality red table grapes, but there is always the chance that climatic factors or other issues will affect grape color development and, as a result, the value of the crop,” said Lyndon Inouye, Valent grape crop specialist. “Being able to bring ProTone into a coloring program, even late in the growing season, gives growers that extra security they will get the optimal crop.”
ProTone contains abscisic acid (S-ABA), a naturally occurring biochemical found in plants. In red grapes, S-ABA stimulates the production of pigments that give berries their red color without any negative effects to the crop itself.
Depending on cultivar, market conditions and expected weather patterns, growers can make multiple applications of ProTone at one- to three-week intervals — even later in the season, after sugar development has occurred. These later applications allow for a progressive increase in berry color and enable the spray program to be adjusted in response to environmental factors that favor color development when it matters most.
Using ProTone in their programs throughout the season not only brings growers peace of mind, but also can help maximize profits at harvest. California grape growers using ProTone have reported a harvest of nearly 300 more boxes than with standard coloring programs
“Put simply, more boxes per acre packed mean more dollars for the grower,” Inouye said. “And in a season like this year, every dollar counts. ProTone helps deliver solid profits and a good return on a grower’s investment.”
When using ProTone, Inouye reminds growers, make sure that each application has thorough coverage of the grape bunch.
“Getting good coverage of ProTone on the complete grape bunch is essential,” he said. “We encourage growers to imagine they are ‘painting’ the material on to ensure they get the maximum benefits that ProTone can provide.”
To learn more about ProTone, visit www.valent.com/protone or www.protonepgr.com/.
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