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Citrus Growers in Chile Experience Less Sunburn Damage, Higher Quality Fruit with Purshade

Independent trials on Chile citrus crops confirm Purshade crop protectant reduces sunburn damage driving higher value for growers

Fremont, CA – Feb. 10, 2010 – Purfresh, a provider of clean technologies that purify, protect, and preserve our food and water, today announced that citrus growers have experienced significant decreases in physical damage from sunburn with Purshade® solar plant protectant. Field trials conducted on multiple varieties including navel oranges and Eureka lemons treated with Purshade experienced up to 11 percent decrease in solar damage.

Each and every year growers risk losing 20%–50% of their fruit to damage from solar stress. Rated among the top three reasons for cullage, solar stress—occurring even in normal growing conditions—damages the fruit surface making the fruit less marketable and more susceptible to infection. Studies have also shown that excessive heat and sun can decrease internal fruit quality and cause splitting.
“Purshade is the industry’s top-performing plant protectant for preventing the damaging effects of solar stress,” said Mr. Alejandro Ochagavia of GMT in Chile. “With Purshade, the benefits go straight to the grower’s bottom line. Incorporating calcium-based Purshade as part of a planned spray program helps growers maximize returns from every acre planted.”

Purshade was scientifically engineered to provide superior protection against the damaging effects of solar stress. Based on patent-pending Advanced Reflectance Technology™ (ART™), Purshade reflects harmful wavelengths of solar radiation such as ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR), while allowing transmission of sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis. Laboratory results show Purshade reflects as much as 85–95 percent of harmful UV radiation, and has been shown to keep plant surfaces 3–6 degrees Celsius cooler than untreated plants.

“The results seen by Chilean citrus growers mirrored those from Purshade trials conducted around the world on a variety of crops including peppers and wine grapes, which reflected 20 percent and 12 percent decreases in sunburn damage, respectively,” said Mr. Tom Justmann, general manager, plant health group for Purfresh. “The success we’ve experience further validates that Purshade can be a valuable tool to help growers improve their returns and more effectively compete in the marketplace.”

The Purshade family of products includes a formulation for use on conventional crops as well as a formulation that is approved for organic production by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) of the United States of America and has been reviewed by the Institute for Marketecology (IMO) and BCS Chile. The liquid formulations are easy to mix, can be applied with standard spray equipment, and provide for easy wash off.

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