The influence of climate change on global agriculture is becoming more evident and now in this time of the year in some parts of the world, we are observing early frosts.
Abrupt temperature changes and unpredictable weather patterns impose stress on plants, affecting both the quality and quantity of production.
A unique biostimulant of its kind.
In climates characterized by instability, the utilization of biostimulants becomes vital to assist plants in sustaining their physiological equilibrium.
For aiding crops through the winter season, an optimal solution is Macys BC 28: a concentrated extract derived from Macrocystis integrifolia seaweed.
The seaweed utilized in producing Macys BC 28 thrives in the deep, cold, and pristine coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada.
It is abundant in essential components such as vitamins, amino acids, laminarins, alginates, and natural hormones, all of which contribute to enhancing productivity and bolstering resistance against challenging environmental conditions.
The extraction process employs a low-temperature mechanical method, ensuring the preservation of all the biological characteristics of these substances.
Macrocystis Integrifolia production process
Cifo’s approach to combat early frosts.
Cifo’s strategy to combat early frosts involves the use of Macys BC 28.
This biostimulant, enriched with a variety of biologically active substances, boosts the plant’s physiological and metabolic functions, thereby elevating its resilience to environmental and physiological stresses, including cold waves, water and nutritional imbalances.
To safeguard against frost damage, it is advisable to implement a series of repeated interventions, providing support to the plant during its most vulnerable periods.
It is recommended to apply Macys BC 28 in conjunction with Cifo KS 64, a specialized nutritional product that can be used through foliar application.
Cifo KS 64 not only supplies assimilable forms of potassium and sulfur but is also enriched with L-Proline, contributing to the development of more robust and environmentally stress-resistant plants.
The combined effectiveness of both products enhances the plant’s ability to withstand abrupt temperature fluctuations and revitalizes its physiological and biochemical response mechanisms following frost episodes.
This aids the plant in swiftly restoring its optimal vegetative and productive development.
MACYS BC 28 is a nutritional specialty based on 100% Macrocystis Integrifolia, a typical seaweed of the cold and uncontaminated Canadian seawaters.
Thanks to a specific industrial process, only mechanical with cold temperatures, we obtain a “juice concentrate” very rich in natural organic substances, such as growth regulators, polysaccharides (fucoidan, laminarin), alginates, vitamins and antioxidants, with a positive action on the vegetal physiology.
In first phases of crop cycle, MACYS BC 28 stimulates roots and sprouts development; during the flowering phase it favours the fruit setting, in final phases improves fruit size and qualitative features.
At the basis of every cultivation system, there is the need to control and manage the main determining parameters namely soil, light, fertility, and temperature, each of these in turn influences or is influenced by one single vital element, water.
The impact of this element has lately been studied much more as now we more frequently are witnessing dry springs characterized by harsh temperature ranges and followed by periods of torrential rains which represent the prelude to long summer with scorching temperatures, these are situations that now more often happen in each agricultural season and cause direct damage to the crops, such as destruction of the leaves, yellowing, lodging, and different types of stress.
If the trend of the last 10 years is followed, in the coming months we will witness frequent and severe drought periods, especially in western Europe and the Mediterranean area, and consequently increasing water supply shortage in the crop production seasons.
In fact, in some areas, for instance, in several Italian provinces, farmers are already dealing with the increase in irrigation water cost and this will inevitably lead to an increase in final production costs as well.
Therefore, a proper strategy represents a fundamental tool for guaranteeing income to farmers and assuring supply for the agro-industry sector.
drought
Flooding
What are the symptoms and mechanisms involved?
High temperatures and scarcity of water lead to the closure of the stomata by the plant in order to limit the dehydration of the plant tissues, at the same time, the plant also slows down the metabolic processes, including those involved in the absorption of nutrients and photosynthesis.
When this condition continues over time, the roots lose the ability to absorb the little residual water in the soil and soon after that, the aerial tissues begin to losing of turgidity, withering, and showing visible signs of chlorophyll degradation like yellowing.
If the situation continues like that, could lead to partial or complete leaf fall, the chlorophyll content is, in fact, one of the most used indicators to evaluate the level of metabolic imbalance in plants subjected to water stress.
Plant transpiration diagram
Cell turgor and reduced evapotranspiration: the two key points of the Cifo strategy
The solution presented by Cifo is a protocol developed in the field which aims at maximizing water use efficiency by applying 3 main considerations
✔️ Selection of the best formulation technologies
✔️ Physico-chemical analyzes on plants and soils
✔️ Efficacy test in various pedoclimatic conditions
These three parameters made it possible to identify the nutritional matrices that present the best relationship between effectiveness and cost containment with a view to maximizing the economic return on investment for the farmer.
The result of this research has led to the selection of a commercial formulation obtained with technologies with less environmental impact: Macys BC 28, the formulation of this product makes it possible to take full advantage of the seaweed extract which has positive effects on evapotranspiration, the accumulation of Osmo-protectors inside the plant cells and increasing cell turgor.
A specialty in action
Macys BC 28 is a powerful biostimulant that can also be used in organic farming made up of 100% concentrated Macrocystis integrifolia seaweed juice, capable of positively influencing the physiology of the plant and providing the foundations for overcoming all the stressful moments of the period.
The presence of numerous biologically active substances naturally contained within the seaweed, in particular laminarins, betaines, and alginates, induces the overexpression of some genes involved in stress control mechanisms, such as the synthesis of ABA and antioxidants, the nitrogen metabolism and photosynthesis process.
All these physiological modifications allow the mitigation of oxidative stress and better efficiency in the use of water (greater stomatal conductance and better photosynthetic activity)
A high-resolution photo of the underside of a vine leaf – comparison of different treatments on cell turgor
In the recent years, more and more growers have understood the importance of autumn fertilization in their orchard, vineyard or olive grove.
Where does this need arise? In fact, it has been demonstrated, through scientific analysis and research, that the vegetative growth of the plant does not stop at the time of harvest, but continues till when temperature reaches about 10 ° C and below, to enter that phase called winter dormancy.
So, till this point, in fact, the plant continues to vegetate, and indeed it is in this period that it accumulates more nutrients to be used later on in the following spring during the vegetative regrowth phase.
More precisely, up to the end of complete leaf fall (until the end of October for the fruit trees and November for the vine) the plant through an intense radical activity absorbs nutrients which along with photosynthetic products will be translocated to the buds and branches and are reserved for the next season.
To ensure good fruiting in the following year, the accumulation of processed substances (sugars and amino acids in the first place), and of microelements within the buds, is very important to guarantee a good fertilization and fruit setting.
Another essential element to be supplied during autumn fertilization is Nitrogen, as it has been discovered that from the vegetative restart to flowering the absorption of this element is modest and the development of buds and flowering consequently occur at the expense of the reserves accumulated in the woody parts and in the roots during autumn absorption.
It should be emphasized that the winter organic fertilization is not able to replace the autumn fertilization and the ideal period to carry it out is between September – October, using fast-acting fertilizers.
The results that can be obtained from the autumn fertilization, supported by multi-year trials, are the better vegetative-reproductive growth balance, an increase in the fertility of flowering buds, an increase in production and finally a decreased alternate bearing which is the key point to maintain high and constant profitability of the orchard.
Another factor that should not be underestimated is the temperature: early autumn temperatures allowing good absorption (the important thing is not to drop below 10-12 ° C); the time of fertilization can also vary according to the crops: commonly by October for fruit trees and until November for the vine.
However, it is important not to mix up autumn fertilization with spring fertilization: the two fertilizations are complementary to each other, without one excluding the other; this must be taken into consideration in order to not exceed the fertilizing units envisaged by the annual fertilization plan.
Cifo, along with farmers and sustainable agriculture, always offers a variety of products in its portfolio to meet the different needs of different crops and climates.
Soil application
The most recommended products are Top N and Top NPK 7-5-14: both of these products are part of the Top Line, a line with the high nutritional efficiency and low environmental impact.
To produce the products of this line, the exclusive process FCH® (Full Controlled Hydrolysis) has been used which gives the possibility to have three fractions of organic nitrogen in these products with fast, medium and slow release which is one the reason behind their efficacy.
Besides, presence of APR® (Proteic Activator of Rhizosphere) stimulates the development of absorbent roots and improving the activity of beneficial rhizosphere microorganisms which ultimately leads to increased absorption and storage of nutrients by the plant.
All the products of the Top Line can also be used in organic farming in accordance with current legislation.
Foliar applications
Cifo recommends different products to have a proper solution for each type of particular need:
MACYS BC 28
Macys BC 28 is a biostimulant in accordance to Legislative Decree 75/2010, completely of vegetable origin, based on Macrocystis integrifolia, a brown algae typical of the western Canadian coasts.
The growing environment, the producing process and the nutritional properties of this algae make Macys BC 28 a product with unique characteristics on the market.
Thanks to its biologically active components, it positively influences the plant during physiological functions by improving cellular turgor, creating the conditions to withstand harsh winters.
MIKROM BZn
Mikrom BZn brings to crops Boron and Zinc, two essential microelements for the regular development of flowers and fruits, for protein and sugar metabolism, and for the strengthening of plant tissues.
The applications in the post-harvest are recommended to increase the resistance of the plant to low winter temperatures and to ensure having proper flowering and fertilization in the following spring.
In systems with soils where the plants have stunted growths with poorly developed branches, we recommend treatments by inserting a product that includes all the nutritional elements.
FLORAL 20-20-20
Floral 20-20-20, like all the formulations of the Floral Line, offers maximum efficacy in foliar application. Furthermore, the high purity of the nutritional elements contained, allows fast and complete solubilization.
Floral 20-20-20 allows the plant to be given the right amount of fundamental nutritional elements, including microelements, to restore the natural nutritional reserve and to better face the vegetative regrowth in the following spring.
We feed plants well before winter dormancy to make them work at their best at the vegetative restart.
The priorities of the period require a nutritional strategy to guarantee aspects such as uniformity of the bunches, berries enlargement and improved consistency.
These objectives require using specific products capable of acting on a biochemical level, supporting the delicate involved processes starting from this delicate moment up to the phenological phases close to harvest.
Cifo, which has been always aware of viticulture technical needs and developing nutritional specialties optimized for the sector, now proposing a complete strategy that has been proved through field trials giving the possibility of yield with high quality standards.
The strategy to gain these goals includes 3 specialties to be used by foliar application:
Organic plant biostimulant of completely natural origin, made up 100% of Macrocystis integrifolia seaweed extract.
It acts by counteracting abiotic stresses through a synergistic action of the components present in Macrocystis: alginic acid, betaines, natural growth promoters, fucoidan, laminarins, vitamins and mineral nutrients.
These components guarantee a balanced development and the preservation of a high cellular turgor even in moments of maximum demand, during severe temperature changes, drought, soil salinity and water-nutritional imbalances.
Biostimulant based on Calcium and Magnesium activated by the seaweed (Macrocystis integrifolia) extract which provides great fraction of calcium and facilitate its translocation within the plant tissues.
The use of Calcisan Green by foliar application has shown excellent effectiveness in terms of a significant increase in the elasticity of cell membranes, allowing to reduce damage of pulp and skin cracking.
The results obtained through various field trials of three products’ application showed:
Greater resistance to environmental stresses and enhanced tolerance to temperature changes over spring – summer.
Berries with excellent size and bunches with more uniformity.
Greater production and final quality, improved resistance to harvesting and improved shelf life.
