The small producers of Montaña de Alicante cherries have been affected by adverse weather conditions for four consecutive years. In the 2022 campaign, 99% of the production was lost in Planes, Benimarfull, La Vall de Gallinera, and La Vall de Laguar because of the torrential rains in spring.
The UMH has devised a method to increase the caliber of cherries and to extend the optimal period of marketing after harvesting, using natural and ecological substances. The method was created by researchers from the UMH Agri-Food and Agri-environmental Research and Innovation Center and the UMH Post-harvest Fruit and Vegetable Research Group the Agri-Food Research Center (Ciagro) of the Campus of Desamparados de Orihuela.
The research is part of a framework project funded by the Generalitat Valenciana with a contribution of about 600,000 euro, with a Prometeo project. This plan is led by professor and pharmacist Daniel Valero. The team was made up of biologist María Serrano, food technologist Fabian Guillen, and agronomists Salvador Castillo, Domingo Martinez Romero, Pedro Javier Zapata, and Juan Miguel Valverde.
The research is based on the existence of natural compounds in trees and plants that, for certain reasons, lower their concentration in different periods, which affects the fruits. Increasing these compounds in the plants leads to increasing the quality of the fruit in terms of size and crop yields. It also leads to the generation of fruits of higher organoleptic quality with a focus on antioxidant properties. They achieve this by increasing those bioactive compounds typical of cherry trees, so producers can sell a higher quality fruit.
The study was carried out with cherries from Alicante and Murcia and the researchers applied very moderate doses of substances from the plants, such as melatonin, to the crops. As the tree matures, the level of that compound decreases. The researchers add melatonin to the plant to stimulate its defense system and to help it increase yields and produce higher-quality and bigger-sized fruits. Throughout the years, researchers have figured out the best time to apply the doses to the trees. They also study the introduction of other natural components and, given the nature of these compounds, the tests have no impact on other plants.
Pre-harvest treatments to improve the post-harvest quality of fruits and vegetables is one of the developments and innovations used by the UMH Post-harvest Fruit and Vegetable Research Group of Ciagro to respond to some of the challenges posed by the agri-food industry.
Source: alicanteplaza.es