Reviewing the Tradeoffs between Sunburn Mitigation and Red Color Development in Apple under a Changing Climate
Orchard systems have drastically changed over the last three decades to high-density plantings that prioritize light interception that is evenly distributed throughout the entire canopy. These conditions allow the production of fruit with a high red color that meets consumer demands for uniformly co...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/4/492 |
| _version_ | 1797605200539680768 |
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| author | Noah Willsea Victor Blanco Kirti Rajagopalan Thiago Campbell Orlando Howe Lee Kalcsits |
| author_facet | Noah Willsea Victor Blanco Kirti Rajagopalan Thiago Campbell Orlando Howe Lee Kalcsits |
| author_sort | Noah Willsea |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Orchard systems have drastically changed over the last three decades to high-density plantings that prioritize light interception that is evenly distributed throughout the entire canopy. These conditions allow the production of fruit with a high red color that meets consumer demands for uniformly colored fruit without external disorders. However, these systems also expose a higher proportion of fruit to full-sunlight conditions. In many semi-arid apple production regions, summer temperatures often exceed thresholds for the development of fruit sunburn, which can lead to >10% fruit losses in some regions and some years. To combat this, growers and researchers use sunburn mitigation strategies such as shade netting and evaporative cooling, which bring a different set of potential fruit quality impacts. Often, there is a tradeoff between red color development and fruit sunburn, particularly for strategies that affect light intensity reaching the fruit surface. In this paper, we review agronomic and environmental factors leading to reductions in red color and increases in sunburn incidence, along with advancements in management practices that help mitigate these issues. Furthermore, we also identify gaps in knowledge on the influence climate change might have on the viability of some practices that either enhance red color or limit sunburn for apple orchards in semi-arid environments. There is a need for cost-effective management strategies that reduce losses to sunburn but do not inhibit red color development in bicolor apple cultivars. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:57:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1424fea44a7045518544cc238ef1e6f2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:57:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj.art-1424fea44a7045518544cc238ef1e6f22023-11-17T19:29:31ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242023-04-019449210.3390/horticulturae9040492Reviewing the Tradeoffs between Sunburn Mitigation and Red Color Development in Apple under a Changing ClimateNoah Willsea0Victor Blanco1Kirti Rajagopalan2Thiago Campbell3Orlando Howe4Lee Kalcsits5Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, 1100 N Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801, USATree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, 1100 N Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801, USACenter for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USATree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, 1100 N Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801, USATree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, 1100 N Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801, USATree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, 1100 N Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801, USAOrchard systems have drastically changed over the last three decades to high-density plantings that prioritize light interception that is evenly distributed throughout the entire canopy. These conditions allow the production of fruit with a high red color that meets consumer demands for uniformly colored fruit without external disorders. However, these systems also expose a higher proportion of fruit to full-sunlight conditions. In many semi-arid apple production regions, summer temperatures often exceed thresholds for the development of fruit sunburn, which can lead to >10% fruit losses in some regions and some years. To combat this, growers and researchers use sunburn mitigation strategies such as shade netting and evaporative cooling, which bring a different set of potential fruit quality impacts. Often, there is a tradeoff between red color development and fruit sunburn, particularly for strategies that affect light intensity reaching the fruit surface. In this paper, we review agronomic and environmental factors leading to reductions in red color and increases in sunburn incidence, along with advancements in management practices that help mitigate these issues. Furthermore, we also identify gaps in knowledge on the influence climate change might have on the viability of some practices that either enhance red color or limit sunburn for apple orchards in semi-arid environments. There is a need for cost-effective management strategies that reduce losses to sunburn but do not inhibit red color development in bicolor apple cultivars.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/4/492sunburnfruit qualityclimate changeheat stressmitigation |
| spellingShingle | Noah Willsea Victor Blanco Kirti Rajagopalan Thiago Campbell Orlando Howe Lee Kalcsits Reviewing the Tradeoffs between Sunburn Mitigation and Red Color Development in Apple under a Changing Climate Horticulturae sunburn fruit quality climate change heat stress mitigation |
| title | Reviewing the Tradeoffs between Sunburn Mitigation and Red Color Development in Apple under a Changing Climate |
| title_full | Reviewing the Tradeoffs between Sunburn Mitigation and Red Color Development in Apple under a Changing Climate |
| title_fullStr | Reviewing the Tradeoffs between Sunburn Mitigation and Red Color Development in Apple under a Changing Climate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reviewing the Tradeoffs between Sunburn Mitigation and Red Color Development in Apple under a Changing Climate |
| title_short | Reviewing the Tradeoffs between Sunburn Mitigation and Red Color Development in Apple under a Changing Climate |
| title_sort | reviewing the tradeoffs between sunburn mitigation and red color development in apple under a changing climate |
| topic | sunburn fruit quality climate change heat stress mitigation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/4/492 |
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