Page 20 - Griffin Gazette Issue 2 - 2018

POSTHARVEST ETHYLENE DEFENSE:

Chrysal Alesco

By Alicain S. Carlson, Ph.D., Syngenta huge role in those losses. Alesco can help assurance for quality flowering plants
Flowers R&D Technical Trial Manager prevent that. at retail and through to the consumer
experience.
Alesco is an anti-ethylene postharvest Alesco is a simple spray on the plant
product to protect ethylene sensitive material just as flowers are opening, Here at Syngenta Flowers in Gilroy,
crops during shipping and retail. The usually the week of shipping. No need to Calif., the Technical Trialing Team has
product is applied as a foliar spray before over spray or worry that you’re not getting done extensive trialing with Alesco on
shipping to avoid ethylene damage good coverage on densely packed our genetics and we are confident in
caused by external and internal sources plants because Alesco is translocated our recommendation to incorporate this
of ethylene, transport stress, and through the plant to block the ethylene product into your production. It’s a shame
temperature fluctuations. This helps keep receptors. Alesco works by binding to to have beautiful product that you’ve
flowers looking fresher longer and foliage the ethylene receptors in the plant so that worked so hard on leave the greenhouse
greener to encourage sales at retail. when ethylene gas comes along it can’t only to be colorless and poor quality by
bind and cause the plant to senesce the time the consumer gets to buy it (or
Retail shrink for just geraniums and faster. One 200 ml bottle of Alesco treats not) because transport conditions are
petunias total to an estimated $31 million approximately 1 acre making application less than ideal.
per year and postharvest damage plays a
costs minimal. Alesco is a cost-effective

20 | Griffin Gazette 2018