TomaTherm™
TOMATHERM™ – the effective way to protect your plants from extreme climates. TomaTherm™ is a concentrated non-toxic water-based foliar protectant, which covers the leaf surface and forms a gas-permeable membrane. This membrane remains flexible and elastic, greatly reducing water loss while shielding the plant from environmental extremes like frost and heat. TomaTherm™ has an added benefit of increasing your plants resistance to various pests.
Manufactured and distributed by TOMAGRO INTERNATIONAL B.V., TomaTherm™ is part of a line of innovative products for plant care and cultivation. We invite you to study our brochures and test our products in order to improve the results of your plant and crop growth.
» What Is TomaTherm™?
» How is it Used?
» Results
» Technical Data Sheet
» Classification
» Description
» Application
» When to Apply
» Duration
» Dosage
» Added Benefits
What is TomaTherm ™?
TomaTherm™ is a concentrated non-toxic water-based foliar protectant designed to combat extreme conditions like frost and heat. After the correct dilution, the suspension is sprayed directly on all exposed plant surfaces, where the polymers bond in a repeating molecular pattern to form a protective membrane. This membrane remains flexible and elastic, greatly reducing water loss while shielding the plant from damaging environmental extremes. The result is a colorless, odorless, gas permeable barrier, which improves plant health, efficiency and yield. The membrane lasts between 30 and 40 days from the time of application depending on the weather conditions (humidity, precipitation, wind, frost etc…). After this period the degradation process of this product starts. It is 100% non-toxic and biodegradable. TomaTherm™ use does not change the nature of plants, but keeps them healthier and better able to produce at their best. The plants use energy to grow and produce, rather than to fight stress.
Back to top
How is it Used?
TomaTherm™ should be diluted with water in the according amounts:
To protect against freeze damage – dilute 2:100.
To combat heat, drought and drying winds – dilute 1:100.
For maximum efficacy, spray the plant surface completely including the underside of the leaf (as this is the site of most water loss) a few days prior to forecasted harsh weather conditions. TomaTherm™ lasts between 30/40 days depending on environmental conditions and plant growth.
Results
TomaTherm™ helps defend plants from environmental extremes raising plants endurance to frost and reducing the ill effects of drought and excessive temperatures.
TomaTherm™ Technical Data Sheet
Classification
The product is not absorbed by the plant so it is to be considered a biodegradable mechanical covering.
In accordance with regulation 2078/92, the product is not to be considered a drug of plant origin.
Description
TOMATHERM™ is a concentrated, non-toxic and biodegradable liquid which is applied to the leaves. It is to be diluted with water and sprayed directly over the whole of the exposed surface of the plants so as to perform a protective function through the formation of a gas-permeable membrane.
TOMATHERM™ consists of a suspension of complex polymers in the water, which form a molecular concatenation creating the gas-permeable membrane. This colorless and odorless membrane remains flexible and elastic, protecting the plant from adverse temperature conditions and considerably reducing loss of water. TOMATHERM™ does not interfere with the nature of the plant but keeps it healthier and better able to achieve its maximum yield through the reduction of stress, which is attributed to lack of water. TOMATHERM™ is biodegradable as well as not toxic and does not give rise to any kind of problem with animals or other plants. The product is environmentally safe and enables the farmer to greatly reduce his use of chemical products.
Application
TOMATHERM™ must be diluted in water in the ratio of 2:100 (as an anti-frost preparation) or 1:100 (as protection against excessively high temperatures) and sprayed evenly over the leafy part of the plants. It is important that the solution cover the required surface thoroughly because any parts not treated will be exposed to atmospheric damage. It is therefore recommended that the solution be applied under pressure.
In the case of rapidly-growing plants (vegetables after transplanting or Kiwi fruit), it is advisable to divide the treatment into two phases: 50% in the first application another 50% a few days later, according to the weather forecast. The second application will reinforce the membrane and will thus increase the protection provided to the new growth.
In the case of trees in blossom, it is advisable to divide the treatment into two or three phases, leaving a number of days between each application. This will enable coverage of the critical period and protect the blossoming by covering the unopened buds. An example of implementation would be:
15 litres of TOMATHERM™ diluted by 750 litres of water can be subdivided into two treatments of 382.5 litres of mixture. This will be applied with a two-week interval. Alternatively, the treatment could be divided into three weeks with 5 litres applied with weekly intervals. If the treatment is further subdivided, it is necessary to pay attention to the weather forecasts as part of the product could have its protective effect diminished. In this case, the applications should be made at short intervals until the whole of the required dosage has been applied.
The application of TOMATHERM™ should therefore be calibrated in accordance with the following considerations:
- Type of crop: to decide the number of applications in relation to the phases of the growing cycle.
- Timing: to be determined in relation to the expected frosts or periods of excessive heat and to the phase of the plant’s growing cycle. Weather conditions: humidity, wind and rainfall determine the duration of the product’s efficacy.
- Growing cycle: to determine whether to apply only one treatment (during the dormant phase) or several treatments thus subdividing the applications (during the growing phase or flowering).
- Irrigation system: to determine the dosage per hectare (e.g. 600l water/hectare = 12l TOMATHERM™). Minimum dosage: 8l/ha.
- Weather forecasts: to determine the number of treatments or to accelerate total coverage. The treatment should be subdivided into several applications.
Please Note
Rain falling after application will accelerate the degradation process and may reduce the efficacy of the product; plentiful rainfall will have a negative influence on the result. It is advisable to apply the product as near as possible to the time of expected frosts. TOMATHERM™ lasts for 4-6 weeks, according to the growth of the treated parts.
Spraying should be fine and the nozzles should allow the solution to cover the whole of the desired surface thoroughly otherwise the untreated parts will be exposed to atmospheric damage. The employment of a normal shoulder pump makes it difficult to reach the undersides of the leaves and the whole of the stalk; it is advisable to incline or adjust the nozzles so that the spray can reach those parts of the plants.
Plants treated in laboratories where 12-hour night frosts at -5°C were simulated, showed survival and re-growth rates of 75% as compared with the 100% mortality shown by un-treated plants.
When to Apply
The right time to apply the product depends on the crop to be protected: in autumn, in the case of crops requiring early sowing, early transplanting, or trees (Kiwi fruit) awaiting harvest; in winter, in those areas subject to severe frost; in spring in the case of all trees with rising sap or for the protection of seedlings after transplantation.
Duration
The product has a mechanical action that protects the leafy parts of plants, flowers, buds and all seedlings for transplantation by means of the formation of a gas-permeable membrane. The membrane lasts for about 4-6 weeks, depending on the weather conditions (rainfall, wind, relative humidity) and, above all, on the growth of the plant part that has been treated. After this period of time, degradation sets in and is completed when the degraded product reaches the soil.
Dosage
The dosage varies according to the minimum amount of water necessary (depending on the spraying system) to spray the whole surface of the plant evenly and thoroughly, taking care to cover the undersides of the leaves (to avoid damage to the exposed part).
The minimum dosage of the product to ensure sufficient coverage is, in any case, 8 litres per hectare.
Added Benefits
An added benefit of TOMATHERM™ appears in the form of a plant protective membrane. If applied after fertilization, TOMATHERM™ will create a membrane around the leaves that will sustain the effects of the fertilization for between 4-6 weeks. There will be less evaporation from the membrane, as well as less washing away allowing the substances to remain on the plant for longer. This effect allows for the reduction of fertilization treatments by as much as 25%.
For further details and a full range of our products, please contact us.
© 2001 Tomagro International B.V. All Rights Reserved
