T
o control the functions of
the tree so as to make it
comply with the produc-
tion interests. In a nutshell,
this is the purpose of the
use of compounds known as growth regu-
lators, which, in small amounts, promote,
inhibit or alter physiological processes and
have been of fundamental importance for
the success achieved by Brazilian apples.
Through this, research has been able to
make the crop viable in areas with climate
conditions considered to be marginal for
the fruit and, according to Renato Luís Viei-
ra, manager of the area at the Experimental
Station of the Santa Catarina State Rural Ex-
tension and Agricultural Research Compa-
ny (Epagri), in Caçador (SC), is given intense
attention to continue conquering challeng-
es in the productive sector.
Through this technology the so-called
dormancy breakage was materialized,
without it, in many current production
areas more than 50% of the apple trees
would be unable to sprout. The research-
er directly involvedwith this work since its
Special attention is given to growth
regulatorsbytheappletreemanagementresearchteam,andthe
resultsareoffundamental importancefortheBraziliancrop
Petri and colleagues fromEpagri are evaluating
the technologies inan experimental orchard
The treeunder
control
beginning 40 years ago, was agronomic
engineer José Luiz Petri, from Epagri (Em-
pasc, in the first years). He came across
the question of the need for low temper-
atures when apple orchards were estab-
lished in Mid-Western Santa Catarina, in
the 1970s, and spent three years in Israel
to study the technique in order to apply it
in region in question.
Petri explains that dormancy breakage
is carried out in several manners, now with
the bud break, which induces the plant,
even in the absence of cold temperatures,
to sprout and flower, leading to its full de-
velopment. He complements that this bud
break process is one of the growth regula-
tors utilized on Brazilian apples, in which
are also included techniques like chemi-
cal thinning, fruit set, control of vegetative
growth and maturation, anticipation or de-
Inor Ag. Assmann
36
