Claudio, fruit and vegetable grower

Girardi Claudio Farm, Verona (Italy) 

A farm specialising in the production of a wide variety of fruit and vegetables for local, direct-to-consumer sales. 

Girardi Claudio Farm, which places particular emphasis on producing agricultural products free from chemical residues, began using BioAksxter® in March 2009 to further improve crop quality and yields and address plant health problems. 

The main objectives included resolving soil fatigue in greenhouse strawberry and tomato crops, addressing Sharka (plum pox disease) in peach orchards, and increasing fruit size and yields in kiwifruit production, particularly in early-maturing varieties. 

During the first six months of treatment with BioAksxter®, the following results were achieved: 

• A significant improvement in both crop quality and yields in greenhouse production, reduced climatic and cultivation-related stress, and an extended harvesting period. 
• Increased disease resistance in vegetable crops, which eliminated the need for plant protection treatments. 

April 2009. Cucumber crop treated with BioAksxter®. Optimal vegetative growth, particularly in the basal leaves, resulting from rapid recovery from transplanting stress. 

October 2009. Greenhouse green bean crop during the first year of cultivation with BioAksxter®. Plants remained highly productive even after an extended harvesting period. 

August 2009. Fennel crop during the first year of cultivation with BioAksxter®. 

October 2009. Fennel crop during the first year of cultivation with BioAksxter®, ready for harvesting and showing no signs of rot or fungal diseases. 

• A reduction in Sharka in peach and nectarine cultivation, resulting in firmer fruit and better keeping quality during the final harvests. 
• A significant increase in vegetative vigour and fruit size in early-maturing kiwifruit, with an 85% reduction in the number of fruits weighing less than 60 grams. 

October 2009. Early-maturing kiwifruit during the first year of cultivation with BioAksxter®, showing particularly vigorous vegetative growth. 

October 2009. Early-maturing kiwifruit crop during the first year of cultivation with BioAksxter®, characterised by high productivity and fruit uniformity. 

In 2010, during the second year of cultivation with BioAksxter®, the results improved further: 

• Strawberry production, grown on the same soil for the fifth consecutive year, was characterised by excellent quality and no rejected produce. Harvesting, which normally ended in June, continued until 17 July. 
• Open-field vegetable crops were characterised by high uniformity and productivity. 

May 2010. Strawberry crop during the second year of cultivation with BioAksxter®. 

May 2010. High-quality strawberries grown with BioAksxter®, ready for direct sale. 

May 2010. Potato crop during the second year of cultivation with BioAksxter®, characterised by high uniformity and excellent plant health. 

July 2010. Courgette crop during the second year of cultivation with BioAksxter®. Plants remained healthy and productive after many days of harvesting. 

• Kiwifruit production improved further, both in fruit size and uniformity. 
• In peach and nectarine cultivation, Sharka was substantially reduced and brown rot (Monilia) was kept under control, unlike in neighbouring orchards, which suffered severe crop losses. 

September 2010. Highly productive kiwifruit crop during the second year of treatment with BioAksxter®. 

September 2010. Kiwifruit crop during the second year of treatment with BioAksxter®, showing particularly large and uniformly sized fruits. 

July 2010. Big Top nectarine variety during the second year of cultivation with BioAksxter®, with the presence of Sharka reduced to almost zero. 

July 2010. Peach tree during the second year of cultivation with BioAksxter®, showing no Monilia despite high disease pressure that year. 

In July 2010, the farm joined the initiative “Ask for Fruit and Vegetables Grown with BioAksxter®”. 

Customers who had already noticed the greater sweetness and storage life of the produce thus received further reassurance of its healthiness through the absence of chemical residues and pollutants.