Bud break consistency products in blackcurrant

Summary

Dormancy breaking in blackcurrant can be simply and effectively managed with the application of a dormancy breaking product at 3% green tip, either using a commercially available product:

  • Brecaut LG 440 + Brecaut LG 441
  • Bluprins + Bluact
  • Erger + Active Erger

 

Or via a fertilizer mix of readily available products:

Treatment

Nitrogen source

Citric acid Conc.

Glucose Conc.

Wetter

Basal C

Ammonium nitrate (5 kg/hl)

2%

2%

Brecaut LG 441 (0.8%)

Basal A

Calcium nitrate (10 kg/hl)

2%

2%

Silwett L-77 (0.05%)

Basal C

Ammonium nitrate (5 kg/hl)

2%

2%

Silwett L-77 (0.05%)

Basal A

Calcium nitrate (10 kg/hl)

2%

2%

Wetcit (0.25%)

Basal C

Ammonium nitrate (5 kg/hl)

2%

2%

Wetcit (0.25%)

Sector:
Horticulture
Project code:
SF 159a
Date:
01 December 2019 - 30 September 2020
AHDB sector cost:
£15,000
Total project value:
£15,000
Project leader:
Adrian Harris NIAB EMR

Downloads

SF 159a Final Report 2020 SF 159a GS Final Report 2020

About this project

Blackcurrants require a prolonged chilling period to induce and synchronise flowering. With current fluctuations in the UK climate, blackcurrants are regularly failing to achieve the chilling required to allow buds to break evenly and fully, resulting in decreased yields and fruit quality. Under Innovate UK 102132 project “Winter chilling in blackcurrants: adapting to climate change, through new technologies for improved dormancy release”, new bud breaking products and combinations of nutrients were tested for their effect on bud breaking in blackcurrant. This project aims to unite the findings from work package 3 of the Innovate UK project and combine the most efficacious nutrients into a single treatment to validate findings, explore cheaper alternatives to the most expensive components of the mix and to test new commercially available products for bud breaking potential to protect the security of the supply of UK blackcurrants in a changing climate.

 

×