Comparing Regalis® and Ethrel® for vigour

June 2014 | Michael Crisera and Virginie Grégoire, Fruit Growers Victoria | Future Orchards® trial report, Plunkett Orchard, Ardmona, Victoria

This Future Orchards® trial at Plunkett Orchard in Ardmona compared the use of Regalis® and Ethrel® as orchard tools for managing excessive vegetative vigour. The trial formed part of the Focus Orchard applied-trial program, which used commercial blocks to test practical management options under local conditions.

Regalis and Ethrel act differently within the tree, so the demonstration was intended to help growers compare their effects on shoot growth and canopy balance rather than treating plant growth regulators as interchangeable products. The work sits within the broader Future Orchards emphasis on controlling vigour while preserving light distribution, fruiting wood and productive capacity.

The report provides a field-based reference for growers assessing chemical vigour-management options alongside pruning, root pruning, crop load and irrigation. As with other PGR work, response depends on timing, tree condition and seasonal conditions, so the trial is best used as evidence to inform a locally adapted program rather than as a universal recipe.