Boron Boost: Raising Brix in Blackcurrants with Damu

In the world of blackcurrant production, Brix matters.

Whether destined for juice, concentrate, or functional foods, the sugar content of blackcurrants—measured in degrees Brix—determines flavour, processing efficiency, and ultimately, market value.

Yet improving Brix isn’t just about sunlight or ripeness. It’s about how efficiently a plant can transport sugars to the fruit—and that’s where Boron comes in.

The Role of Boron in Sugar Transport

Boron (B) plays a key role in carbohydrate mobility:

• It forms boron-sucrose complexes that are phloem-mobile, enabling effective sugar transport from leaves to fruit.
• It also influences membrane integrity, enzyme activity, and hormone regulation—all critical for ripening and fruit quality.

But boron is notoriously hard to move within the plant, and uptake can fall short when growth is rapid or conditions fluctuate.

Enter Damu: Smart Boron Nutrition

Levity’s Damu product addresses these limitations. It pairs boron with a unique biostimulant package that:

• Accelerates uptake and mobility
• Enhances sugar partitioning to the fruit
• Supports improved fruit development and ripening

Results from UK Blackcurrant Trials

A 2025 trial on the variety Ben Sarek (5 replicates per treatment) compared Damu to an untreated control. Damu was applied every two weeks across four applications during ripening.

Key Outcomes:

• Final Brix (harvest stage):
• +0.7° Brix increase, or +13.2% relative improvement
• Statistically significant enhancement in sugar concentration
• Earlier signs of ripening, with numerically improved yield

What This Means for Growers

For blackcurrant producers, higher Brix means:

• Better-tasting fruit
• Higher juice yields
• Greater processing efficiency
• Potential price premiums in contract or specialty markets

Damu enables this by making boron work harder, improving sugar movement when it matters most.

Growing other fruit? Damu isn’t just for blackcurrants—it’s also shown excellent results on crops like strawberries, tomatoes, and more, helping growers boost sugar levels and quality across a range of horticultural crops.