Water Stress Increases Sunburn in ‘Cripps’ Pink’ Apple

Abstract

An experiment that entailed the manipulation of irrigation was carried out to assess the effect of water stress on sunburn development in ‘Cripps’ Pink’ apples. Normal irrigation, half irrigation, and no irrigation treatments were applied for 15 days starting on 14 Mar. 2010 (Southern hemisphere). Stem water potential, fruit surface temperature (FST), sunburn incidence, and sunburn severity were measured. Sunburn was also categorized into browning, necrosis, or bleaching sunburn types. Fully exposed fruit without prior sunburn symptoms were tagged for progressive sunburn assessments, whereas sunburn was also assessed at harvest for all fruit per tree. Soil moisture and stem water potential decreased, whereas FST, sunburn incidence, and severity increased linearly with a decrease in irrigation level. Sunburn necrosis increased with increasing water stress. In conclusion, water stress aggravates sunburn development under conditions conducive for its development by increasing FST.