Saving the Cherry Harvest

Nestled in the heart of the California’s fertile Central Valley region, rows upon rows of almond and cherry trees line the country roads. Agriculture is the heart and soul of the region, and crop yields represent the financial stability of many families and communities in the area.

The last few years have been difficult. Ongoing drought has hit the farming community particularly hard. “A preliminary study in May [2015] by the University of California, Davis, estimated the drought would cost 18,600 agriculture-related jobs and $2.7 billion in economic losses this year.”†

Ag Telesis, a farm located in Del Rey, a small community just outside of Fresno, has weathered the many fluctuations of farming over the years. In 2014, cherry yield was approximately one hundred 18-pound boxes for every acre of orchard. The owner, Mitch Sangha, who also serves on the board of directors of the Raisin Bargaining Association, was looking for a way to increase his yields. He decided to try Pollen-Tech’s patent-pending pollination technology.

Pollen-Tech, Pollineering’s partner and technology licensor, has developed a method of electrostatically pollinating blossoms that has shown a marked increase in crop yield. Having twenty acres of cherries sprayed with the special pollen slurry, Mr. Sangha waited to see if this new approach would yield results.

The results were staggering.

The trees treated with this special process were full of ripe, red cherries hanging in bunches like grapes. The untreated, control trees were producing fine cherries, but not nearly in the numbers seen on the treated trees, as can be seen in these photographs taken just a few days before the first harvest began.

Speaking of his cherry harvest, Mr. Sangha said, “Most growers in my area harvested 100 boxes or less, I harvested over 400 boxes per acre this season. One of my neighbors only managed just under 100 boxes per acre on his farm. I feel the application of pollen was the difference.” Through the application of our process, his cherry crop had a 300% yield increase.

This dramatic increase is even more important when the alternative is considered. Recalling the situation, Tom Brown, CEO of Pollen-Tech, said, “They told us this was the last hope for the field. If they didn’t get good results, they were pulling the trees out.” Electrostatically pollinating saved the orchard.

With the addition of this simple, natural process that is free of harmful chemicals and pesticides, the Ag Telesis farm greatly increased their profits for the year.

About the Process

While a number of processes exist for trying to get viable pollen to adhere to a blossom’s stigma (the necessary first step of the pollination process), only this electrostatic spray process has seen these types of results.

Our pollen suspension, or slurry, is made of 100% natural purified pollen mixed with other all-natural, food-grade materials. It is bee friendly, environmentally friendly and crop and human safe. Being non-toxic, one could even drink it, though its taste would be rather unpleasant.

Spray times vary for different types of crops and field configurations. At 10½ minutes per acre, Mr. Sangha’s twenty acres took about 3½ hours to spray. Almonds typically take less than half that amount of time per acre.

Pollination services are available through Pollineering for the following crops, with more to follow:

Crop yield is dependent on a number of factors. Yield increases vary based on type of crop, field configuration and many other environmental factors. Consult a representative for further information regarding particulars.

About Pollineering

Pollineering, LLC is a licensed provider of Pollen-Tech’s patented technology for mechanical pollination. Using their special pollen slurry and techniques, Pollineering increases yield and reduces risk for farmers in China, Australia and a host of other countries around the world.