This is a technique using an OMRI-listed organic product PROUD 3® as an additive for fruit and vegetable washes, which was pioneered by HUMA GRO®’s distributor in Guatemala.
The melons are cleaned initially with a mix of water and chlorine to remove any dirt from the field, then they pass through the PROUD 3® disinfectant to prevent the post-harvest diseases.
To disinfect Honeydew and Cantaloupe melons, the dosage is to add 5 milliliters of PROUD 3® for each liter of water used. Submerge the melons for a minimum of 15 seconds in the bath or spray the mixture on the melons for the same amount of time.
The PROUD 3® works to disinfect the melons and controls the incidence of bacteria and fungi.
In Guatemala some growers were losing from 25% to 70% of their production to mold and mildew diseases in transit to their markets. With the use of PROUD 3®, their transportation losses have been reduced to only 1% to 10%.
PROUD 3® can also be used to disinfect the refrigerator containers used to transport the pallets with the melon boxes. For this, use fumigation pumps or sprayers and mix a dosage of 10 milliliters of PROUD 3® for each 1 liter of water sprayed.
“We have eliminated almost all the diseases that normally develop in the post-harvest period and transport, especially the mildews and molds.”
For more field studies and research reports, please sign up here, check your email for login credentials, and login here.
Related Posts
Back to ’72: My First Farm Progress Show
In 1972, the Farm Progress Show came to my hometown of Galesburg, Illinois and even to the farm of my family’s closest friends. That year’s show was the biggest in history, drawing over 360,000 people and marking the dawn of U.S. farming’s golden age. Looking back, it was a front-row seat to agriculture’s past, present, and future.
This Week in Ag #47
Nitrogen Use Efficiency has quickly become part of the vocabulary surrounding sustainability. But NUE is more than just a buzzword or another fancy acronym. NUE is the benchmark for nitrogen management. You’ll often see it used to measure the amount of nitrogen used to produce a bushel of grain. NUE is a pillar for calculating
A Familiar Story: Margins Squeeze, Resilient Farmers
Rising input costs and stagnant crop prices are squeezing farm margins to their widest gap in a decade. Yet despite the pressure, farmer sentiment remains surprisingly strong as growers look for smarter, more efficient ways to improve their operations rather than simply cutting rates.
