Ethembria

Ethembria is a plant growth regulator based on ethephon. Inside the plant it releases ethylene, the natural ripening hormone, so the crop ripens earlier and more uniformly than it would on its own. In cotton it opens the bolls and drops the leaves ahead of a machine harvest; in tomato it turns a staggered picking into a single concentrated one. For growers whose economics depend on harvest timing and labour cost, that is the whole value.

Characteristics

• —Accelerates and synchronises ripening
• —In cotton: opens bolls and defoliates ahead of machine harvest
• —In tomato: converts a staggered picking into one concentrated harvest
• —Cuts labour cost and shortens the harvest window
• —Can bring the crop to market earlier, when prices are better
• —Releases ethylene, the plant's own ripening hormone

How it works

Ethephon is absorbed and then breaks down inside plant tissue to release ethylene, the gaseous hormone that triggers ripening, abscission and senescence. Timing is critical and the effect is irreversible: applied too early it costs yield, applied too late it achieves nothing.