NEWS RELEASE

Novel crop load management tool granted EPA registration

SAN RAMON, Calif., – March 9, 2022 – Valent U.S.A. is proud to announce the EPA registration of Accede™ Plant Growth Regulator Liquid Concentrate, offering apple growers a new tool to chemically thin apples for effective crop load management. Accede expands the chemical thinning window, allowing for “late thinning” when king fruit is sized 15 to 20 millimeters.

Until now, when fruitlets were 15 to 20 millimeters, hand thinning was the only option if additional crop load management was needed — a costly and time-intensive process. With an application of Accede, growers can chemically thin fruit at this stage, allowing the king fruitlet more resources to increase in size and ultimately improving fruit quality at harvest.

“Crafting a plan for PGRs can be one of the most challenging aspects of apple growing,” says Kevin Forney, PGR Product Development Manager for Valent U.S.A. “With the addition of Accede into a program, growers can now tackle the late thinning window and reduce the need for costly hand thinning.”

How Accede works

Accede is derived from a naturally occurring plant hormone called 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), which is quickly converted into ethylene using the plant’s natural biochemical pathways. The ethylene generated from applying Accede stimulates fruit drop, allowing remaining fruitlets to grow larger and improve quality.

A study from Cornell University found Accede has higher efficacy when fruitlets are 18 millimeters in size versus 10 millimeters. Applications at 18 millimeters reduced fruit set by 56% to 65% compared to untreated controls.

“Accede shows best efficacy when used in a thinning program with other PGRs,” Forney adds. “Products like PoMaxa^® Plant Growth Regulator and MaxCel^® Plant Growth Regulator perform best when fruitlets are 5 to 15 millimeters, followed by Accede in the 15 to 20 millimeter window. Together, these tools help growers achieve optimal thinning results.”

To learn more about Accede, visit the Accede product page or contact a sales rep.

About Valent U.S.A.

Valent U.S.A. LLC, headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., develops and markets products in the United States and Canada that advance sustainable agriculture, protect crops, enhance yields, improve food quality, beautify the environment and safeguard public health.

Valent offers a broad portfolio of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators for agricultural, seed protection and professional use. The company is also a leader in biorational products developed by its affiliate, Valent BioSciences LLC.

For more information about Valent or its full product line, visit Valent.com or call 800-6-VALENT (682-5368).

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