Plant Impact's InCa increases quality and yield in apples and pears: InCa is based on Plant Impact's CaT technology which is a calcium delivery system for crops and plants. InCa is different to all other calcium containing products as it is much more effective in delivering calcium and moves it from cell to cell by enhancing the plants own cell wall transport system.

INCA IS BASED ON PLANT Impact s CaT technology which is a calcium delivery system for crops and plants. CaT is a leading edge technology which supports sustainable agriculture.

InCa is different to all other Calcium containing products as it is much more effective in delivering calcium and moves it from cell to cell by enhancing the plant's own cell wall transport system. It also has the added benefit of fewer applications and less inputs. In addition to combating stress, it strengthens cell walls, promotes healthy cell division and alleviates physiological problems. The end results are increased yields, better quality produce and longer shelf life.

Miller Chemical & Fertilizer Corporation (Pennsylvania, USA) ("Miller") carried out extensive field trials using Plant Impact's InCa product on Honeycrisp apple and Anjou pear trees.

The Honeycrisp apple tree is a moderately vigorous tree and Its apples are consistently ranked as one of the highest quality and best tasting apples in the University sensory evaluations. The apples are very attractive with skin colour 60 to 90 percent distinctive mottled red over a yellow background. Honeycrisp is a high value crop but it is susceptible to the Calcium disorder, bitter pit. The symptoms appear very late to the point of showing no visible signs at harvest but being covered in black pits within 2 days of storage.

Anjou pears are commonly susceptible to severe physiological disorders due to calcium and nitrogen imbalance. Green blotch (alfalfa greening) is a calcium related physiological disorder of the Anjou pear fruit and is characterized by green blotches, specks, or longitudinal streaks (green stain) that occur most frequently on the stem end of the fruit. It is usually accompanied by superficial cork (indentations of 1-2 mm in diameter) and smallcorky specks (1 mm in diameter) may sometimes occur under the indentations. Although the above symptoms do not generally interfere with the dessert quality of the fruit, it sometimes causes heavy fruit rejection in many orchards of the Pacific Northwest (USA) due to its unattractiveness. This disorder generally occurs six weeks prior to harvest.

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InCa demonstrated excellent control of bitter pit on the Honeycrisp apples. Not only was InCa as good as the standard treatment but it offered the unique advantage of using 8 times less calcium than standard treatments, providing considerable environmental benefit. InCa application increased calcium levels in the fruit more than two-fold, improving nutritional benefits and storage life. The Inca sprayed apples were also harvested earlier by 10 days as maturity was not delayed by the use of excess nitrogen in the standard spray programme. The grower's Qc manager stated that the overall quality and skin finish, plus the way the fruit handled when it was picked was far superior to the standard treated fruit. Based on the trial results all the Honeycrisp apple growers in the area have switched to the InCa programme.

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InCa also increased the fruit size of Golden Delicious apples compared to standard treatments and significantly reduced variability of apple diameter, with 80o% of the fruit on treated plants attaining a single size class. Maintaining a regular apple size is an important commercial consideration for the grower to ensure consistency of quality fruit. The amount of calcium applied to the crop was nearly 4.5 times lower with InCa compared to the standard treatment, offering real environmental gains to the grower.

The Anjou pear trials showed that Plant Impact's InCa significantly reduced Alfalfa Greening by up to 4 times at each harvest compared to the standard treatment. Cork Spot was almost totally eliminated through treatment with InCa. By delivering calcium to where it is needed InCa improves the shape, homogeneity, colour and taste in all fruit.

There were five specific grape trials: 3 in Spain; 1 in Jordan; and 1 in Morocco. Grapes grown in those and other viticultural regions typically face plant stresses such as drought, high temperatures, poor soil conditions and calcium deficiency--all of which contribute to sub-optimal yield. The InCa trial groups showed a range of improvements compared with their respective controls: marketable yield up by 10-15%; shelf life increased by 8%; colour improved by 7%, based on measurement of CIRG (colour index for red grapes) which is a standard statistical calculation; and sugar content increased by 20%.

As a result of the InCa treatment programme the growers' revenues increased by 20-25% and the time-to-harvest was reduced by 10-12 days. In addition the grapes became less susceptible to heat and drought stress and the vines showed an overall improvement in health, both with regards to colour (leaf and stem) and strength (thickness of stem).

.Plant Impact addresses the increasing global demand for effective, sustainable and ecologically-sound products to combat environmental plant stress and improve crop productivity. Common environmental plant stresses include drought, salinity, nutrient deficiencies, pests and disease. Plant Impact's cutting edge technologies produce practical results that reduce inputs and benefit the whole of the agricultural value chain, providing solutions for growers, food manufacturers and consumers. The benefits include increased marketable yield, improved quality, longer shelf life and greater profitability.

Contact Plant Impact Plc on tel +44 (0)1772 733744 or email info@plantimpact.com or visit www.plantimpact.com