CROPS
Cultivar Evaluation, Research and Development
OUR RESEARCH
Our experience includes cultivar evaluation, research and development across a broad spectrum of fruit, vegetables and field crops and services.
APPLES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials
- Product validation studies
- Product development
- Plant nutrition research
- Pest and disease control
- Manipulation of fruit maturation
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity
- Post storage quality parameters including starch conversion, flesh firmness, skin colour, fruit size, total soluble solids, titrated acidity, internal oxygen, carbon dioxide and ethylene levels; and post-harvest product registration, product validation and management of internal disorders, external disorders, decay control, irradiation, CA storage, RA storage, MAP storage and optimized packaging.
An example is research conducted on 1-MCP, with considerable benefits for the SA fruit industry.
PEARS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of fruit maturation;
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity and
- Post storage quality parameters, including starch conversion, flesh firmness, skin colour, fruit size, total soluble solids, titrated acidity, internal oxygen, carbon dioxide and ethylene levels;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation and management of internal disorders, external disorders, decay control, CA storage, RA storage, MAP storage and optimized packaging.
An example is a leading role played in the commercialization of the Forelle Early Market Access (FEMA) programme, with huge benefits for the SA fruit industry.
SOFT CITRUS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies and
- Product development;
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity,
- Post storage quality and de-greening practices;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation, storage temperatures for best storage quality.
ExperiCo has conducted trials with soft citrus varieties such as Mandarines, Clementines, Satsumas and Tangerines.
OTHER CITRUS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies and
- Product development;
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity,
- Post storage quality and de-greening practices;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation, storage temperatures for best storage quality.
ExperiCo has conducted trials with soft citrus varieties such as Mandarines, Clementines, Satsumas and Tangerines.
TABLE GRAPES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Bud break studies,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of grape berry colour development;
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation, SO2 technology development and testing, alternative fungicide testing, irradiation, CA and MAP storage, packaging development, handling and packing within time/temperature tolerances.
ExperiCo played a major role in the development of SO2 sheets over the years and were responsible for introduction of perforated bags and MAM’S to limit berry crack on SA export table grapes.
WINE GRAPES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Pest and disease control;
- And determination of optimum harvest maturity.
PLUMS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies
- Product development
- Plant nutrition research
- Pest and disease control
- Manipulation of maturation;
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity, fruit colour and fruit size;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation and management of internal disorders such as gel breakdown and internal browning, single and dual-temperature cold storage, irradiation, RA and CA cold storage and MAP packaging.
Examples are storage temperature manipulation to reduce internal disorders and perforated plastic liners to reduce shrivel on fruit during cold storage.
APRICOTS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of maturation;
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity and fruit size;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation and management of internal disorders, external disorders, decay control, low-temperature cold storage, transport protocols and optimized packaging.
An example is the development of packaging formats to prevent vibration rub-marks during transit.
PEACHES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of maturation;
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity and fruit size
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation and management of internal disorders such as woolliness, decay control, RA and CA cold storage, transport protocols and optimized packaging.
An example is the pre-conditioning technique that ExperiCo developed to reduce woolliness.
NECTARINES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of maturation;
- Determination of optimum harvest maturity and fruit size;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation and management of internal disorders such as woolliness, decay control, RA and CA cold storage, transport protocols and optimized packaging.
An example is a leading role played in developing the perforated plastic wrappers used to limit shrivel caused by moisture loss from nectarines during transit.
TOMATOES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Product registration trials and product validation studies (fungicide and insecticides);
- Bio-stimulant studies (petri-dish);
- Greenhouse plant nutrition program studies
- And post-harvest measurements (yield/ fruit size/ fruit quality)
ONIONS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes: Product registration trials and product validation studies (herbicide, fungicide and insecticides); plant nutrition studies (granular / liquids / WS), which can include broadcasting, band placing, foliar application, fertigation and fertilizer inputs with soil- and leaf analysis; post-harvest measurements (yield / bulb size / bulb quality after storage).
BROCCOLI
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Product registration trials,
- Product validation studies;
- And post-harvest quality maintenance studies.
CAULIFLOWER
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Product registration trials
- And product validation studies
POTATOES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Product registration trials and
- Product validation studies (herbicide, fungicide and insecticides);
- Plant nutrition studies (granular / liquids / WS), which can include broadcasting, band placing, foliar application, fertigation and fertilizer inputs with soil- and leaf analysis;
- And post-harvest measurements (yield/ tuber size/ tuber quality after storage/ chip quality after baking)
SALAD
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Testing of gas composition in packs of salads to establish if optimal MAP conditions have been achieved. This is done for research and commercial services.
AVOCADOS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of maturation;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation, cold storage and optimized packaging.
BLUEBERRIES + RASPBERRIES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of maturation;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation, cold storage and optimized packaging.
BANANAS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of maturation;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation, cold storage and optimized packaging.
LITCHIS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of maturation;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation, cold storage and optimized packaging.
MANGOES
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Pre-harvest product registration trials,
- Product validation studies,
- Product development,
- Plant nutrition research,
- Pest and disease control,
- Manipulation of maturation;
- And post-harvest product registration, product validation, cold storage and optimized packaging.
WINTER CROPS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Product registration trials and
- Product validation studies (herbicide, fungicide and insecticides);
- Plant nutrition studies (granular / liquids / WS), which can include broadcasting, band placing, and foliar application and fertilizer inputs with soil- and leaf analysis;
- Bio-stimulant studies (glasshouse / field trials);
- And post-harvest measurements (yield / hectolitre mass / protein / thousand kernel weight / falling number / seed protein / seed oil content).
ExperiCo has conducted trials with winter crops such as wheat, barley, oats and canola.
SUMMER CROPS
ExperiCo’s expertise includes:
- Product registration trials and
- Product validation studies (herbicide, fungicide and insecticides);
- Bio-stimulant studies (growth room)
ExperiCo has conducted trials with summer crops such as maize, sorghum, sunflower and soya.
CONTACT US
+27 21 887 1134
info@experico.co.za
Lelie Street, Stellenbosch, 7609
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