With highly variable seasons more common in Australian agriculture, growers have recognized the need to protect crops against sunburn and heat stress.
Estimates of crop loss vary, however, claims of almost 50% damage have been made. In many cases crops have literally been cooked before they’re picked.
The forecast is that the 2015–16 summer will be hotter than average.
Surround crop protectant reflects all three types of radiation
Surround Crop Protectant reduces crop damage caused by sunburn and heat stress when used according to the product label.
Surround is made from natural kaolin that is refined and processed under extreme heat to produce a 3–dimensional reflective formulation.
Research in 2013 by Dr Michael Glenn of the US Department of Agriculture and Dr Jose Antonio Yuri of the Pome Fruit Research Center in Chile confirmed that it is the combination of high levels of radiation in the infrared, visible and ultra violet light ranges that causes the greatest solar damage in apples.
Hence, for a product to be effective as a sunscreen, it must be capable of reflecting all three types of radiation. The research highlighted that Surround does this effectively.
Application
Surround is used in many countries on both annual and perennial crops to reduce the impact of extreme conditions, with first applications even beginning at or soon after planting in some circumstances.
For example, research has demonstrated that regular applications of Surround greatly enhanced the growth of young citrus trees in Florida (see picture).
Proven track record
Peter Barrows of US-based TKI, the owners of Surround, has worked with Surround since its creation.
During a recent visit to Australia, Peter confirmed that, “Surround has a long and proven track record in Australia from the first trials in 1998.
“There is a solid base of evidence from growers and researchers that Surround consistently performs extremely well.
“This independent data confirms what we have long known, namely that Surround significantly outperforms others products.
“There appears to be little or no local data to support the claims of other products, whereas Surround has been proven time and again.
“Over the years, some growers have tried alternatives and then come back to Surround; they did not get the results from the alternatives that they did from Surround.”
For more information visit
www.agnova.com.au
where there is an extensive amount of information on each crop,
or call your local AgNova representative
See this article in Tree Fruit Nov 2015
