ADAMA Australia’s Brevis® fruit thinner undergoes further development

Brevis contains the unique active ingredient, metamitron, a non-hormonal agent that inhibits photosynthesis to induce fruit thinning. Compared with alternative fruit thinners available on the market, Brevis can be applied across a wider growth interval (8–16 mm central fruitlet diameter) and a wider temperature range (10–25°C).

ADAMA Australia Portfolio Manager - Herbicides and PGR’s, Rob Walker, said the company has conducted extensive research to further develop use patterns for Brevis following its successful launch in 2019.

“We’re very excited to announce two significant developments for Brevis for the 2021 season, pending APVMA approval,” Rob said.

“The first is the introduction of significantly expanded use patterns, with the maximum amount of Brevis permitted to be applied per season increasing from 2.2kg/ha to 4.4kg/ha. The second is that the Brevis use pattern has now been expanded to include application to pears.”

The rate range of 1.1-2.2 kg/ha per application has been maintained, however should the need arise, a second application of 1.1-2.2kg/ha is now permitted. Previously, total usage for the season was capped at 2.2kg/ha, whether applied in one application or split into two.

Rob said the expanded use patterns are a significant development for apple and pear producers, providing greater flexibility in effectively managing their thinning requirements.

“Timing is everything when it comes to the application of fruit thinners. To achieve the target level of fruit thinning, advisors and growers have quite a few aspects to consider,” said Rob.

“Variables such as flowering, pollination, fruit set, cultivar and rootstock must all be taken into consideration, in addition to recent and imminent weather conditions.”

ADAMA Australia continues to work with growers and advisors promoting the benefits of ADAMA’s global decision support tool BreviSmart®, which utilises an algorithm developed to predict a recommended window for applying Brevis.

Andrew Newall, ADAMA Australia AgTech and Innovation Manager, said: “The algorithm takes into account important factors such as location, variety and fruitlet size along with weather which influence Brevis’ efficacy, providing apple advisors with a tool to support their decision of when best to apply Brevis.

“The model also assists advisors and growers in avoiding an application of Brevis in weather conditions that may lead to under or over-thinning,” Andrew said.

“After advisors enter the coordinates of the block to be treated along with a few variables agreed with the grower, the model calculates the predicted efficacy for the following days. Local weather data is collected from the days before calculation and combined with the forecasted data for the recorded location. The outcome is a recommendation of the best window to apply Brevis.

“The model provides a guide for advisors, however local experience and historical knowledge of the orchard is an essential component of applying Brevis successfully.”

For further information contact your local ADAMA Australia representative or visit adama.com.