Discover what plant extracts are and why they are so necessary
Plant extracts are substances extracted directly from plants, both from their fruits and seeds and from leaves, stems and roots. They have a very varied use in human and animal nutrition, industry, cosmetics, etc. but they are also used, and with increasing frequency, in the agricultural sector.
Its effect on the plant can be both biostimulant and defensive against biotic factors (pests and diseases) and abiotic factors (frost, water stress, etc.). A multitude of substances such as phenols, alkaloids, terpenoids and many other secondary metabolites have been identified and the effect they produce on plants, but the potential of this type of substance continues growing.
The use of plant extracts in plant defense is not new. In fact, many of the molecules registered as phytosanitary products in the fight against pests and diseases have been isolated or synthesized from a botanical extract.
Aware of the impact that extracts of plant origin have on the agricultural sector, the company José Morera, S.L. has been a pioneer in the introduction of this type of substance, devoting a specific line of research to the development of botanical extracts or plant extracts.
The importance of the quality of plant extracts
Now that you know the definition of plant extracts, you should know that the quality of an extract depends on many factors.
First of all, of its nature. That is, from the original plant and the habitat in which it has grown. Within the same species there are different varieties, each with a completely different behavior from the rest.
In the same way, a plant grown by itself in a natural and wild environment is not the same as one cultivated for commercial purposes. Wild plants are much more resistant than cultivated plants and, therefore, their defense system will be much more advanced.
Extraction process of botanical extracts
Another factor, no less important, is the process of extraction or preparation of the extract. Very strict quality controls must be followed, both in the handling of the material and in its transformation phase (the components of the extracts may be sensitive to high heat treatments, they may be photosensitive, etc.).
The formulation of plant extracts
And, finally, the formulation is of vital importance, that is, how the extract goes in to the market for its application in the different crops. It must be easily emulsifiable in the case of oils, that they carry the appropriate solvents for the type of extract, etc. All this aimed at its application producing the desired effect on the plants.
The company José Morera, S.L. has a laboratory specialized in the handling of this type of substance, aimed at carrying out all the qualitative controls necessary to make available to farmers those extracts of proven efficacy, both in “in vitro” tests, in our own facilities, and in tests of field on those crops to which it is intended.
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