Field test : Heptamaloxyloglucan and Sorbitol sprayed on grapevines does not provide -3 C spring frost protection in Canada

Heptamaloxyloglucan and Sorbitol, together commercialized as PEL101GV, was applied on Frontenac hybrid grapevines at 60 mg/ha and 100 g/ha respectively, 43 hours prior to a spring frost event in the Montérégie region (Quebec, Canada). In the test plot, the minimum temperature varied between -3.1 oC to -3.7 oC, as measured at the 70 cm shoot's height.

The agents were compared to no-treatment in a complete randomized test block with 13 repetitions. The average shoot survival rate was 15.9% and 14.5% for the agent and the no-treatment respectively, but data analysis shows no statistical significance with p = 0.577. Data suggests that shoot survival rate is correlated to the physical position in the field.