lay in linewith harvest schedules.
In the case of chemical thinning, which
consists in the removal of excessive fruit,
the researcher emphasizes that it is of fun-
damental importance to promote bud
break in order to achieve more uniform re-
sults from the plants andmore efficiency at
work. By the way, one of the leading objec-
tives of the use of growth regulators is the
reduction of labor. The said chemical pro-
cess requires only four hours per hectare
for the operation and if done manually, de-
pending on the case, it could take from 400
to 600 hours per hectare.
The pioneer researcher recalls that in
the 1970s, when commercial pomiculture
in Brazil was at its beginning, 15 tons per
hectare was a fantastic crop. Now, 40 tons
per hectare are seen as insufficient, as 60 to
80 per hectare are necessary for the activ-
ity to remain attractive in economic terms,
emphasizes Petri. He adds that this level is
achieved in other countries, and by some
local farmers, showing its viability and that
research is there to indicate the means and
the right track towards this end.
Modern fruticulture
Researcher José Luiz Petri signs, along with his
colleagues Fernando José Hawerroth, Gabriel Berenhaus-
er Leite, Andre Amarildo Sezerino and Marcelo Couto, from
the Santa Catarina State Rural Extension and Agricultural Re-
search Company (Epagri), the book “Growth regulators for temper-
ate climate fruit trees”, launched in 2016. The book features results
of years of studies conducted by the institution on the development
andadaptationof these substances inSouthBrazilianclimate con-
ditions, especially in Santa Catarina. “It is hard to imaginemod-
ern fruit farming without them, as they are the solution for
several problems, improving productivity and enhanc-
ing the quality of the fruit, besides reducing the
need for labor”, say the authors at the intro-
duction of the book.
Inor Ag. Assmann
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