Foliar application of calcium plus boron reduces the incidence of sunburn in 'Golden Delicious' apple

Losses of apple fruit due to sunburn damage under South African climatic conditions can reach up to 40% per annum for specific cultivars in certain years. Various approaches to reduce the incidence and severity of sunburn resulted in temporary effects but, at present, no single remedy is available t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of horticultural science & biotechnology 2014-01, Vol.89 (6), p.607-612
Main Authors: Lotze, E, Hoffman, E. W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
apples
boron
calcium
climatic factors
cultivars
flowering
foliar application
mechanism of action
minerals
trees
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Losses of apple fruit due to sunburn damage under South African climatic conditions can reach up to 40% per annum for specific cultivars in certain years. Various approaches to reduce the incidence and severity of sunburn resulted in temporary effects but, at present, no single remedy is available to provide a significant and consistent reduction in sunburn damage on a commercial scale. ‘Golden Delicious’ apple trees that received both calcium (Ca) and boron (B) as foliar applications on a weekly basis, when applied from approx. 21 – 70 d after full bloom (DAFB), showed significantly less sunburn in two consecutive seasons (P = 0.0500 and P = 0.0247 respectively) than untreated control fruit, or treatments based on Ca alone. The minerals were applied as supplements of sugar-alcohol complexed with Ca and B, trading as Manni-Plex® Ca [10% (w/w) Ca] and Manni-Plex® B [3.3% (w/w) B], respectively. The mode of action by which the incidence of sunburn was reduced using combined sprays of Manni-Plex® Ca plus Manni-Plex® B remains to be elucidated.
ISSN:1462-0316
2380-4084
DOI:10.1080/14620316.2014.11513127