Purshade Ultra

Preservation and protection technology specialist Purfresh announced the launch of its new Purshade Ultra product, which it has described as a next-generation solar stress protectant engineered to provide advanced ultraviolet (UV) protection for crops.

According to Purfresh, Purshade Ultra helps to prevent excessive levels of solar radiation from the sun which can compromise plant health and cause sunburn and heat stress, conditions which have been shown to account for average losses in marketable yield of produce ranging from 8per cent to as high as 45 per cent.

The new Purshade Ultra advancement offers greater reflectivity across the UV light spectrum, and is especially effective at reflecting UV-B light, which is the most damaging to plant productivity.

Results from research carried out by Two Bee's Agricultural Research and Consulting, in which Purshade Ultra was used on Granny Smith appes, processing tomatoes and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, showed decreases in sunburn on fruit and foliage, increases in biomass and other enhanced crop characteristics such as fruit colour and Brix levels.

'Purshade products have now been used on more than 50 different crops around the world and are delivering measurable results for conventional and organic growers in more than 50 countries,' said Tom Justmann, general manager, plant health group for Purfresh.

'Building on the success of other Purshade protectants, we are thrilled to be able to offer the market a new product, with advanced technology, that provides even greater levels of usability and solar protection,' he added.

The Purshade family of products are engineered with Advanced Reflectance Technology (ART) to provide superior protection against solar stress, and are designed to be easy-to-mix, apply and remove.