As tree crops are just about to start flowering, now is the time to think about how to give your crop its best chance at pollination and therefore its best yield.
Pollination is a vital part of the tree crop process. In order to pollinate, plants start their productive stage by creating reproductive buds, then flowers.
For flowers to be pollinated, they need to stay strong long enough for this process to occur. If the tree is too weak then flower buds can abort. If the weak bud does produce a flower, these flowers can fall prematurely, and either never pollinate or only create small fruit which can fall quickly due to poor setting. All of these issues lead to reduced yields.
A strong, healthy flower will stay viable for longer, increasing chances of pollination. Strengthening flowers can decrease chances of bud abortion and weak flowers, and increase chances of pollination, therefore increasing quality and overall yield.
So how do you get healthy flowers?
Flower strength mostly depends on the health of the tree. It can be affected by a variety of factors, including day and night time temperatures, too much or not enough water, salinity in the soil, winter chill, herbicide and mechanical damage, overall plant nutrition, and post-harvest.
One of the best ways to improve flowering and give your crop the best chance at pollination is to increase the nutritional status of your crop.
Adequate levels of calcium, boron, and zinc can improve overall nutrition and are essential for flower strength. These elements support the trees to mitigate adverse environmental factors which we cannot control, including wind, not enough or too much rain, and weather which is too hot or too cold. Generally these nutrients can help with pollination, fruit set, retention, and uniformity however an agronomist can help to determine your specific tree crops’ needs.
Having specific problems with pollination? Here are our favourite Stoller solutions for each problem:
The problem? Poor flowering.
Flower Power, as the name suggests, optimizes the flowering and pollination of any plant even through extreme temperatures. It contains zinc and boron, which are essential for optimum pollination.
Find more information on Flower Power here: https://stoller.com.au/products/flower-power/
The problem? Poor fruit shape and retention.
Sett Enhanced contains both calcium and boron, which assist with pollen tube formation, fruit quality, and can lead to higher yields especially during cold night conditions. It increases natural pollen formation and flower retention, which leads to less misshapen fruit and more marketable yield.
Find more information on Sett Enhanced here: https://stoller.com.au/products/sett-enhanced/
The problem? Zinc deficiency.
Zinc Chelate is highly efficient at correcting crop deficiencies quickly and is ideal for maintaince applications before deficiencies occur. Zinc is critical in keeping plant hormones at good production levels.
Find more information on Zinc Chelate here: https://stoller.com.au/products/zinc-chelate/
The problem? Abiotic stress.
Bio-HOLD aids in abiotic stress management throughout flowering and early fruit sizing. It supports fruit retention and nutrition, improves fruit set and weight, and increases the amount of fruit per tree.
Find more information on Bio-HOLD here: https://stoller.com.au/products/bio-hold/
If you have any questions about tree crop nutrition and pollination, we’d love to hear from you!
Call Stoller Australia on 1800 337 845 or email info@stoller.com.au.