Invaluable help during the summer months
‘La Libellula’ is a firm that is producing cut salads in the province of Bergamo (Northern Italy). Their main products are Valerian, Green and Red Lettuce, Arugula, Lettuce heads and ‘Spinacino’ (young and tender spinach leaves). After harvesting, leaves and heads are sold to specialized companies that wash them, repackage them and sell them, primarily to large retail chains. Some of these crops are particularly sensitive during the summer months: with high temperatures and high light intensity, principally Valerian and ‘Spinacino’, tend to burn easily, with a sharp decline in yield and quality of the product.
"In order to protect these delicate salads, before using ReduSol, I normally sprayed a layer of lime on the roof of my greenhouses," says Alessandro Lubrano, one of the owners of the company. "But every time it rained, I had to repeat the treatment."
Then, thanks to the advice of a trusted person, Mario Locatelli, the local agent for Mardenkro, he tried ReduSol. "At first I was sceptical, thinking that the product cost was excessive! But after trying it, initially only 10,000 m2 of my greenhouse, I was forced to change my opinion. With just one treatment in April, everything is OK until October! Now all 120,000 m2 of my greenhouses are protected with ReduSol. And when it rains, the product resists without washing away. "
Alessandro has observed in addition to the main advantage, the reduction of temperature and irradiance on the hottest days, another almost equally important: covering greenhouses with other products, like lime, or even worse, with a tissue shading cloth, on summer days with cloudy sky, the light that penetrates is not enough to grow good crops. The effect of ReduSol is also to spread the photosynthetically active light inside the greenhouse: this allows his salads to grow faster, with better performances, even from the point of view of the quality and of taste, that are greatly improved.
Last year, with the continuous rains during the spring, it was a very severe test for ReduSol: difficulties were overcome brilliantly, because the product resisted throughout the whole period, from spring to autumn, without any problem.
Alessandro Lubrano also appreciates the ease of application and removal of ReduSol: "I spray it with a barrel and atomizer driven by a tractor: I can spray a single layer for less sensitive crops or more layers for the most delicate ones. I can cover about 2,000 m2 per hour. And in the autumn, it is easy and quick to clean using the specific product, ReduClean. "
Mr Lubrano adds: "I have already recommended ReduSol to some of my colleagues and many have begun to use it with complete satisfaction. In turn, they are spreading the word and I think that the use of this product will increase more and more for delicate crops such as ours."
Also his initial doubts on ReduSol from the economic point of view have vanished: one treatment is enough for the whole summer season and, making very simple calculations, it is obvious that ReduSol is cheaper than lime or other products available on the market that have to be applied more times.
Alessandro Lubrano thanks the Mardenkro laboratory for a product that, for him, is now an essential and comprehensive help for the summer months. He is sure that in the future this product and the other coatings of the ReduSystems series will be further improved in order to give farmers further benefits and ease of cover and removal.
