Minimizing crop damage

Plant protection using UV stimulation

5 min read
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Published
  • October 15, 2024
Reason to read

A cutting-edge solution that enhances plant defenses through UV-C flashes, providing specialty crop growers with a sustainable alternative to traditional fungicides. By stimulating a preemptive self-defense mechanism in plants, UV Boosting technology helps increase resistance to pathogens, minimizing crop damage and reducing reliance on chemical inputs.

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The Challenge

How to boost plants resistance to diseases and climate events like drought and frost?

Growers in the agricultural industry face challenges related to the dependence on fungicides for crop protection. Increasing regulatory restrictions and environmental concerns have highlighted the need for sustainable alternatives that minimize chemical inputs while effectively combating pathogens. How can specialty crop growers address these agricultural challenges today? 

Summary-Icon

What are the benefits?

  • Patented technology
  • Prevent downy mildew impact on vine, fruits & other crops
  • Secure yields
  • Minimize damage caused by frost and drought

The Solution

A vision on plant protection though UV stimulation implement

UV Boosting offers a solution by stimulating plant natural defenses through UV-C flashes. This triggers a defense mechanism in plants, making them more resistant to pathogens even before their appearance.

By enhancing plant defenses, UV Boosting aims to reduce the reliance on fungicides and minimize damage caused by pathogens & other abiotic stresses like spring frost or drought.

UV Boosting’s equipment offers also a flexible treatment rate, allowing growers to adjust the intensity of UV-C flashes based on specific crop requirements and disease pressure.

Crops-agnostic application

In conjunctions with UV Boosting, Kubota is testing sustainable alternatives to chemicals and empowering growers to protect their crops effectively while promoting environmentally friendly farming practices

Nowadays UV Boosting offers the solution specialized for vineyards, which Kubota dealers and clients in Italy (Brescia area) and France (Anjou) are testing in 2024. However, the adaptable nature of the equipment allows it to be applied to various other crops where fungal pathogens pose a significant threat. Company has on its roadmap also prototypes for orchards, strawberries & greens (as golf courses).

Testimonial

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Environmentally friendly farming practices

With adaptable equipment, flexible treatment UV flashes rates, and compatibility with various agricultural machines, UV Boosting empowers growers to protect their crops effectively.

1. Easy to use application

2. Alternative to chemicals

3. Implement mounted on narrow tractors

4. 4-7 treatments over the season

5. Reduce engine speed

6. During day or night time

7. Equipment pay back in less than 1 year

Minimize crop damage due to pathogens & climate events like drough and frost.

7. Secure yields for vine, fruits & other crops

8. Reduction of drought impact (+22% in yield) in vineyards

9. Reduction of downy mildew (-59%) in vineyards

Plant‘s resistance to diseases, drought and frost

Kubota’s clients applied 4-7 treatments during the season to evaluate the technology impact on the yield results as well as the overall effectiveness on the trees’ health state. According to experts and backed by scientific evidence, UV Boosting solution secures the yield for organic, biodynamic and conventional wine growers.

Treatments provide short exposure to proprietary UV sources on plants. Activated plant metabolism works after: plants experience a peak of Salicylic Acid production. It has been proven that salicylic acid is a key plant hormone required for establishing resistance to many pathogens. As a result, plant reacts to biological or physical threats much more efficiently and rapidly.

Wine growers confirmed less yield losses due to hydric stress or fungal diseases. For example, proven agronomical validation within season 2022 in Bordeaux shown the reduction of drought impacting on yield (+22% in yield) and results in €4.9k revenue savings/ha for vineyard.

The UV Boosting Helios implements can be easily mounted on standard (narrow) tractors and straddle tractors for application in vineyards. Treatments are conducted at the tractor‘s speed of 4 km/h.

Those treatments have no residue in the environment and no impact on biotope.

Reduction of downy mildew impact (-59%) on vineyard, which avoid yield losses
0 %
UV Boosting - 2 panels implement for vineyards
Kubota Tractor UV boosting patented solution

The People

“In 2023, we faced of lot of rain, and we had good result by mixing organic sulfur treatment program with UV Boosting’s application. We’ve got much less diseases appearance in vineyards and results were very positive for the yield. This year, we try to stimulate with UV light panels as much as possible in the vineyard, fully integrating UV Boosting solution in our organic treatment program.”

Didier Defaix, owner of Domaine Bernard Defaix in Chablis, France

Didier Defaix is the owner of Domaine Bernard Defaix in Chablis, France. He manages 27 ha over Chablis appellation, Chablis Premier Cru. Domain is an organic vineyard for 15 years and they try to produce a sustainable agriculture.

It is the third season since Didier have invested in UV Boosting technology. He wanted to try it and integrate it into an organic treatment program in order to reduce cooper usage mainly, and in addition sulfur usage for oidium treatments.

In Chablis, wine growers are facing heavy rainfalls, so diseases spread is stronger from season to season.  UV Boosting application can be used not only in organic vineyard to reduce copper dosage, but also in conventional vineyard to reduce chemical treatments in general.

UV Boosting panels stimulate natural defense of vine and enable Didier to secure yields and reduce diseases impact on the vineyard even during heavy rain season.

Didier Defaix - Domaine Bernard Defaix - France

UN Sustainable Development Goals

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