Food-grade biofilm tech enhances the natural defenses of fruit crops

25 Aug 2020 --- US-based Cultiva has launched an elastic biofilm positioned to help growers protect crops from the effects of excessive water and heat, as well as from smoke damage caused by wildfires. The spray ingredient, called Parka, uses food-grade biofilm technology, known as SureSeal. Parks is a non-pesticide product designed to strengthen the crops’ natural cuticle – their first line of defense. The product represents a new tool for industry in combating more extreme weather conditions, leading to larger yields and a longer shelf life, according to the company.

Finding solutions for crops to cope with environmental stressors is an issue of great significance. The National Academy of Sciences calculates that for every rising degree Celsius, crop production decreases by 5 to 15 percent. In financial terms, a decrease of this magnitude in grape production would result in losses of US$330 to US$990 million in the US, according to the Academy.

“Our first product utilizing SureSeal Technology, Parka, has exceeded our expectations since the beginning,” says Luis Hernandez, CEO of Cultiva. 

Research shows that supplementing the plant cuticle with Parka has numerous benefits, including suppressing cracking, reducing sunburn and heat stress.

“It’s proving effective on many crops and the safe and soft nature of the ingredients designate the product as ‘exempt from tolerance.’ This allows limitless applications per season and no pre-harvest interval.” 

Recent occurrences of extreme weather in the US demonstrate the impact and cost to growers, including high-value crops like cherries.Parka is composed of food-grade phospholipids that supplement the plant cuticle, which protects epidermal cells from environmental threats. Spray application forms an elastic, protective shield to maintain the integrity of fruit and foliage even as the crop develops. 

The key is to start Parka applications at fruit set, so it can continue to strengthen the cuticle layer during the most vulnerable time in the growing process.

Applications in the field
The above-average rains occurring in cherry and apple regions in the US, for example, could have a devastating effect at harvest, flags the company. High precipitation can cause cracking in cherries and stem-end splitting in apples. Early applications of Parka have been shown to reduce the development of micro-fractures, leading to a higher yield and a more uniform harvest, while reducing disease incidence by minimizing entry points for pathogens into the fruit.

Parka also has post-harvest applications. Tests have shown that cherry trees can better mitigate heat stress with the ingredient, resulting in improved crop health and higher yields in future harvests, including minimizing cherry doubling, the company notes. 

Moreover, Parka can help protect wine grapes from smoke-taint, which is caused by wildfires. This recently became evident to wine-grape growers in Australia, Spain and some parts of California in the US. They saw full seasons of production being lost as a result of smoke affecting the taste of wine at the completion of the vintage. 

Working with nature
Scientists at Cultiva have been working on methods to assist the natural protective properties of fruits, vegetables and foliage. An advantage of the product is that it is compatible with most other crop protection products. 

“Parka is environmentally friendly and safe for workers, beneficial insects and ultimately the consumer,” Hernandez notes.  

International studies from Spain, Chile, Canada and the US show that applying Parka protects the surfaces of numerous fruit, vegetable and nut crops, plants and trees from rain, heat-related and air-quality complications. 

Edited by Missy Green