Speedfol™ Colour SP has a positive impact on Fuji apples
Speedfol™ Colour SP has been shown to have a positive impact on the maturity, colour, and quality of Fuji apples, creating higher and better net returns for growers.
Today, Fuji apples account for more than 70% of China’s national apple production, consolidating their position as the most widely grown variety in the country.
Given this predominance, producers continually seek innovative solutions to improve the visual quality, color uniformity, and market value of their crops.
Field Trials with Speedfol™ Colour SP in Shandong Province
To evaluate the benefits of Speedfol™ Colour SP on Fuji apple production, SQM conducted two trials between late August and early October 2009 in two different orchards located in Shandong Province, one of the country’s main producing areas.
As highlighted by Susan Gu, Specialty Plant Nutrition Sales Coordinator at SQM China: “It’s time to tell the world how Fuji apples and their growers benefit from Speedfol™ Colour SP.”
Trial design and treatments applied
Before the trials began, all fields (control and treated) were managed under the same base nutritional program:
- Foliar applications of Ultrasol® Magnum Flex Production
- Application of Ultrasol® Calmag
Applications of Speedfol™ Colour SP
Applications of Speedfol™ Colour SP were carried out only in the treated fields, following this protocol:
- Dose: 400 g/mu per application
- Frequency: 3 foliar applications
- Fruit condition: In all cases, the fruit was bagged at the time of application, which is common practice for Fuji apples to protect their aesthetic quality.
| Trial site 1 | Parameters | Trial site 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Daoqiang | Grower´s name Nombre del agricultor |
Chi Lianqiang |
| Dochijia, Xiaomenjia, Penglai, Shandong |
Location | Donchijia, Xiaomenjia, Penglai, Shandong |
| Fuji | Apple variety | Fuji |
| 4 mu = 2.668m² | Apple variety | 3 mu = 2.001 m² |
| 17 years | Orchard age | 19 years |
| 45 trees/mu | Planting density | 35 trees/mu |
| Sandy loam | Soil | Sandy loam |
| Flood | Irrigation system | Flood |
| Well water | Irrigation water | Well water |
| 1 mu = 667 m² • 15 mu = 1 ha | ||
Table 1. Summary of both trial sites.
Results of trials with Speedfol™ Color SP on Fuji apples
The results obtained in trials conducted in Shandong with Speedfol™ Colour SP show significant improvements in the quality, appearance, and commercial value of treated Fuji apples.
Main benefits observed
After three consecutive applications of Speedfol™ Colour SP, both orchards reported:
- Larger fruit
- Higher sugar content (°Brix)
- Faster ripening and coloring 3 to 7 days faster
- More uniform and more intense color
- Higher fruit density
These results are supported by the data presented in Table 2, which clearly demonstrates the positive impact of the treatment compared with the control.
| Trial site 1 / Sitio de ensayo 1 | Parameters / Parámetros | Trial site 2 / Sitio de ensayo 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control Testigo |
Speedfol™ Colour SP |
Difference Diferencia |
Control Testigo |
Speedfol™ Colour SP |
Difference Diferencia |
|
| 1.000 | 1.270 | +270 | Fertiliser costs (RMB/mu) Costos de fertilizantes (RMB/mu) |
900 | 1.100 | +200 |
| 2.500 | 3.650 | +150 (+4%) | Yield (kg/my) Rendimiento (kg/mu) |
3.400 | 3.600 | +200 (+6%) |
| 5,0 | 5,1 | +0,1 (+2%) | Obtained market price (RMB/kg) Precio de mercado obtenido (RMB/kg) |
5,0 | 5,1 | +0,1 (+2%) |
| 17.500 | 18.615 | +1,115 (+6%) | Gross income (RMB/mu) Ingresos brutos (RMB/mu) |
17.000 | 18.360 | +1.360 (+8%) |
| 13.000 | 13.845 | +845 (+43%) | Net income (RMB/mu) Ingresos netos (RMB/mu) |
12.000 | 13.160 | +1.160 (+10%) |
| 11 mu = 6678 m² • 15 mu = 1 ha | ||||||
Table 2. Results from both trial sites. All dates correspond to observation dates.
Commercial advantages for Fuji apple producers
Earlier commercial maturity of the fruit allows treated apples to:
- Be commercialized earlier than the market average.
- Achieve higher prices due to their superior appearance.
- Increase income per hectare for producers.
This demonstrates that Speedfol™ Colour SP not only improves the agronomic characteristics of the fruit, but also provides a direct economic return for the farmer.
| Trial site 1 | Parameters | Trial site 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Speedfol™ Colour SP | Difference | Control | Speedfol™ Colour SP | Difference | |
| 21-09-2009 | Lateral diameter (mm) | 29-09-2009 | ||||
| 72,8 | 74,1 | 1,3(+1,8%) | 68,8 | 78,8 | 10,0(+14,5%) | |
| 21-09-2009 | Longitudinal diameter (mm) | 29-09-2009 | ||||
| 58,7 | 59,3 | 0,6(+1%) | 58,1 | 64,5 | 6,5(+11,0%) | |
| 31-09-2009 | Average fruit weight (g) | 03-11-2009 | ||||
| 217 | 236 | 19(+8,8%) | 217 | 235 | 18(+8,3%) | |
| 31-09-2009 | Average sugar content(ºBrix) | 03-11-2009 | ||||
| 7,7 | 10,0 | 2,3(+30%) | 7,7 | 10,1 | 2,4(+31,2%) | |
Table 3. Economic aspects of the applications at both trial sites.
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