ACC Foliar Spray for Stone Fruit Thinning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for reducing crop load in stone and pome fruits, such as ethephon, are inconsistent due to environmental and physiological factors, leading to unpredictable thinning results, defoliation, and physiological disorders like gummosis, with a lack of effective chemical thinners for stone fruits like peaches.
Innovation Solution
The use of 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) as a foliar spray during bloom, alone or in combination with other active ingredients, to regulate ethylene production and reduce crop load, offering differential ethylene release profiles and reduced gummosis risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ethephon is used as a chemical thinner, then crop load reduction is achieved, but thinning results are inconsistent and unpredictable due to environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameter from ethephon to ACC (1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid), which has a different mechanism of ethylene release. ACC is converted to ethylene by plant enzymes (ACC oxidase) rather than through abiotic degradation like ethephon, making the thinning effect more predictable and less sensitive to environmental temperature variations.
2Productivity
If ethephon is applied for thinning, then crop load is reduced, but defoliation and gummosis occur as harmful side effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the desired thinning function from ethephon while leaving behind the harmful side effects. ACC provides the ethylene-mediated thinning effect without causing the severe defoliation and gummosis that are characteristic of ethephon application, effectively separating the beneficial from the harmful effects.
3Shape
If 6-benzyladenine (6BA) is used for thinning, then fruit size increases, but thinning results are sensitive to physiological and weather conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical class from cytokinin (6BA) to ACC, which acts through ethylene production. This parameter change provides more consistent and predictable thinning results that are less sensitive to physiological and weather conditions, while still achieving the desired fruit size increase through crop load reduction.
4Reliability
If hand thinning is performed, then consistent thinning results are achieved, but production cost becomes prohibitively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical hand-thinning system with a chemical system using ACC. This substitution maintains the consistency and reliability of thinning results while dramatically reducing labor costs and making the process economically viable for commercial production.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
ACC provides consistent and controlled thinning of stone fruits, increasing fruit size and quality while minimizing leaf loss and gummosis, with effective dose-dependent and timing-dependent applications, demonstrating improved reliability over existing chemical thinners.
Implementation Method 1
The use of 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) as a foliar spray during bloom, alone or in combination with other active ingredients, to regulate ethylene production and reduce crop load
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to agricultural methods and compositions of 1- aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) alone or in combination with 2- chloroethylphosphonic acid (ethephon) to reduce crop load of fruit trees.