PHILADELPHIA, PA - As states like Washington, New York, and Michigan see record-breaking heat ranging from 100-degree days to temperatures in the upper 90s, AgroFresh Solutions is setting its focus on creating advantages for apple orchards. The company is touting its innovative Harvista™ solution as an opportunity for apple producers.
“One of the primary concerns during extended periods of high temperatures is the acceleration of fruit ripening, appearance of disorders, and premature fruit drop, all of which can significantly reduce marketable yield,” said North America Commercial Director Rodrigo Cifuentes. “Harvista helps growers keep apples on the tree longer by slowing down starch, firmness, and background color loss, giving growers better control over harvest timing and resources.”
Harvista is a pre-harvest 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) product. According to the company, this provides a solution for the pressures caused by weather, delaying the acceleration of an apple’s maturity processes triggered by the production of ethylene. As the innovator shared in a press release, the implementation of Harvista can help growers mitigate accelerated maturation risk.
“At AgroFresh, we understand the challenges that apple growers face with extreme weather conditions,” said Cifuentes. “Of the robust portfolio of solutions for apples that AgroFresh offers, Harvista is an essential tool in the grower’s toolbox to not only mitigate weather-induced stress on the crop, but also as a foundational tool in improving and extending the post-harvest life potential of that fruit. When combined with post-harvest applications of SmartFresh™ as part of an integrated long-term storage strategy, we see even greater results over quality and packouts after storage.”
Trials show that Harvista delays starch degradation and firmness loss by up to two weeks, allowing fruit to continue developing size and color on the tree and helping growers produce more premium-grade fruit. As the release went on to note, trials in Washington state on the Gala variety yielded approximately 6.5 tons more premium-grade fruit than those with no Harvista application.
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