In November, a team from ARTAL Smart Agriculture and its distributor in Antalya (Turkey), a client of the company since 2021, made a technical visit to one of the country’s main tropical fruit producers, to analyze and offer their solutions to some of the most serious problems of avocado: Phytophthora cinnamomi, the fungus that causes root rot of the avocado tree, the most damaging disease of this crop worldwide.
This pathogen destroys the roots of the tree and can cause its death in the most serious cases. It causes rotting of the absorbent or secondary roots, which decreases water and nutrient intake. Infected roots acquire a dark color and a brittle consistency when attacked by this microorganism. They then become necrotic and die.
The disease also causes problems in many other crops, such as tropical pineapple and chestnut, and in wild and ornamental plants. Eliminating the fungus from infested soil is practically impossible, so the first measure to control the disease is prevention.
As a complementary strategy, ARTAL Smart Agriculture recommends the use of PINOPHYTAL Mix. This inducer of plant defenses favors the synthesis of phenolic substances and phytoalexins that are created by plants themselves to defend themselves against specific stress situations. In this way, it can be recovered quickly and have high productive yields. Its effectiveness against avocado root rot has already been tested in other countries. It is a totally natural solution, formulated from natural extracts of pinophytes and microelements, suitable for all crops and does not leave residues.
The province of Antalya concentrates 80% of Turkey’s glass greenhouses: almost 6,500 hectares, surpassing those in Almería. In addition, it also has nearly 14,000 hectares of plastic greenhouses and 3,800 hectares of tunnels. In this strategic region for the international growth of ARTAL Smart Agriculture, 94% of greenhouse production is dedicated to horticulture; 5%, fruits; and the remaining 1%, to ornamental plants.
