Crops
Ideal for application on pineapples.
Benefits
Offered in a liquid formulation, PinCor®:
- Controls naturally differentiated flowering (NDF) in pineapples
Active Ingredients
PinCor contains the naturally occurring compound aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), which inhibits the biosynthesis of ethylene in plant tissues. In pineapple, ethylene plays an important role for flower induction.
How Pincor Changed the Game
Unlike most crops, commercial production of pineapples requires artificial synchronization of flowering through application of ethylene, a gaseous plant hormone. This synchronization allows pineapple farms to set fruit availability year-round.
However, during certain parts of the year, climatic conditions such as shorter days or cool temperatures can trigger ethylene production in pineapple plants, inducing natural and premature flowering.
Random flowering from NDF causes unsynchronized fruit development within a field, which in turn leads to inconsistent and unpredictable harvests, as well as pest control problems. For pineapple growers, this can mean disrupted harvest plans, increased costs, and the necessity of selling their fruit during the year’s lowest price season. Many growers refer to NDF as the single most important pineapple crop problem.
Making a Major Discovery
In 1982, researchers found that application of the potent ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) blocked flowering of certain ornamentals. At that time, it appeared that a single application of AVG did not prevent flowering in pineapple. However, when the Agricultural Products Division of Abbott Laboratories (now Valent BioSciences) launched AVG commercially, researchers expanded their studies to include higher usage rates. The turning point for pineapples came when it was discovered that multiple applications of AVG could control pineapple flowering and thus prevent NDF. In 2011, after more than 10 years of extensive field testing AVG, Valent BioSciences launched PinCor.
Highly Effective Tool
PinCor prevents flowering caused by stress, giving growers more control over and synchronizing flowering, fruiting, and ultimately, harvest. PinCor simplifies farming operations during the NDF season, allowing year-round production of consistent fruit quality and quantities at a steady price. Today’s pineapple growers have a highly effective tool in PinCor for minimizing NDF’s impact at the farm level. Its application has been a boon to pineapple growers and another game-changing innovation from Valent BioSciences.
