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Chitosan

The Natural Elicitor

ANALYSIS: 4% CHITOSAN

What is It?

  • CFIA-registered supplement: Reg. # 2017113A, Fertilizers Act.
  • Chitosan is a compound naturally found in crustacean shells and fungal cell walls, and can be very beneficial to plant production and growth.
  • Chitosan enhances plant survival and yield in times of heat or cold stress and drought.
  • When foliar-applied to crops it allows the plants to grow with less water.
  • Exogenous application of Chitosan has also been shown to accelerate growth and germination as well as improve the quality of flowers and fruit.
  • Applied to produce, Chitosan helps prolong their shelf life and prevents early decays.
  • Application of Chitosan can trigger plant defense responses and lead to a significant reduction in disease pressure.
  • Timing of application is also crucial for insuring a beneficial effect.

When & Why Use It?

  • The product is recommended on all crops including field, horticultural and vegetable crops as well as fruit trees, turf and ornamentals.
  • Chitosan improves seed germination and seedling establishment.
  • Apply Chitosan to improve the overall health and resilience of the crop to stressful conditions (cold, heat, drought, …).
  • Chitosan helps plants manage water use efficiency.
  • As a biostimulant, Chitosan triggers plant’s natural immunity against pathogens and can be used to complement fungicides effect.
  • Applied post-harvest, Chitosan can prolong produce shelf life.

What to Expect?

  • An improved growth and development especially under cold, hot & drought stress conditions.
  • Healthier crops often yield higher.
  • Better seed and fruit quality.

Application Guidelines

  • Follow the recommended rates and timin listed on the label for each crop and do not exceed the recommendation.
  • To prepare solution, add one half the total amount of water, add recommended volume of Chitosan and continue adding water until desired application volume is reached.
  • For foliar applications, apply with minimum volume of 10 US gal/ac.

Findings

Figure 1. Effect of addition of Chitosan on the germination of spurge seeds (Source: Pabón-Baquero et al. 2015).
Figure 2. Versatility of use of Chitosan in many fields including the elicitation of plant innate defenses to pathogens.
Figure 3. Deterioration index (Right) and decay (left) of papaya fruits. UTC (A) vs CHI Treated (B) after 8days of storage (Source: Barrera et al. 2015).

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