Arysta LifeScience partners with Purfresh to supply growers in Mexico with superior solar protectant

FREMONT, USA: Purfresh, a provider of clean technologies that purify, protect, and preserve our food and water, announced that Purshade, a family of calcium-based products scientifically engineered to protect fruits, vegetables, and other crops from harmful solar and water stress, is now available in Mexico through Arysta LifeScience.

Growers in Mexico have been using Purshade on a variety of crops including tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, and squash, and have experienced significant decreases in physical sun-related damage and increased yield with Purshade.

“Growers have tried various solutions, including kaolin clay and overhead cooling, to protect crops from solar damage — all with varying results,” said Benjamin Robles, product manager for Arysta LifeScience.

“With the protection of Purshade, growers have experienced increases in biomass production and improvements in crop quality characteristics, including size, color, and weight, resulting in higher-quality and higher-value crops. As a supplier of crop protection products, we are pleased to offer the Purshade family of products to our growers to help them maintain the high quality of Mexican produce.”

Regardless of the region, growers around the globe risk losing or downgrading 20 to 40 percent of their crop as a result of solar stress. Even though some crops thrive in hot climates, plants can suffer from heat and water stress when temperatures rise.

Engineered to protect crops from solar damage, Purshade — based on patent-pending Advanced Reflectance Technology (ART) — reflects harmful wavelengths of solar radiation such as ultraviolet and infrared, while allowing transmission of sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis.

Gabriel Quintero Reyes, technical advisor in Valle del Yaqui, Sonora, Mexico, remarked: “I, along with the growers I manage, are convinced that Purshade successfully protects our crops — in the field and greenhouses — from the damaging effects of UV and IR damage. In the two years I’ve been using Purshade on tomato, pepper, and watermelon crops, I’ve experienced a significant reduction in sunscald. Purshade offers superior coverage, and is easy to handle, mix, apply, and remove.”

Desiderio Araujo Zavala, a technical advisor of growers in the Valle del Yaqui had a similar experience in sunburn reduction and added, “It is good that we have a product such as Purshade to help growers protect their investment.”

“We have very pleased to be partnering with Arysta LifeScience Mexico. Arysta Mexico is a well respected company focused on delivering innovative, high-quality products and services to their customers,” said Tom Justmann, general manager, plant health group for Purfresh. “The trial work they have performed in their first year of distribution on a wide variety of crops has been impressive. We are proud to have them representing our Purshade product family in Mexico.”

The Purshade family of products includes a formulation for use on conventional crops as well as a formulation that is approved for organic production by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). The liquid formulations are easy to mix, can be applied with standard spray equipment, and provide for easy wash-off.