Application of anti-hail net in apple orchards: effects on fruits chemical characteristics
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resumo
Apple production in Portugal, over the last 15 years, has been subjected to increasing crop damage due
to hailstorms and related meteorological extreme conditions. This problem has led farmers and
researchers to find practical solutions to protect the orchards, such is the case of netting devices. The
application of anti-hail nets in apple tree orchards looks to provide protection against the roughest
meteorological events (such as hail, strong winds, and sunburn), while avoiding to upset the development
of the plant and or, if possible, helping to improve the plant’s productivity.
During 2016, this work was carried out in Carrazeda de Ansiães, a northeast Portuguese plateau zone
that is a primary location for apple production, and the application of a grey anti-hail net, which reduces
photosynthetically active radiation by 12 %, was tested in an orchard with the cultivars Golden delicious
and Fuji of apple tree (Malus domestica Borkh). Control without screen net applied was also used. In
order to understand the effects of the net, apples were collected and analysed for their chemical
characteristics (total phenols, ortho-diphenols and flavonoids content, ABTS and polyphenolic profile).
The obtained results in apple peel revealed, in both cultivars, a decrease in total phenols, ortho-diphenols
and flavonoids concentration, whereas in the Fuji cultivar the antioxidant activity, determined by the ABTS
assay, was maintained. Pulp results showed little difference with lower (P<0.001) ortho-diphenols content
in Fuji cultivar and slightly lower (P<0.05) ABTS activity in Golden delicious cultivar. Peel and pulp
methanolic extracts were analysed by HPLC-DAD. The phenolic profile was similar for both cultivars, with
the exception of anthocyanins, being identified chlorogenic acid and derivatives of quercetin. The antihail
net did not affect the phenolic profile, only decreased the polyphenols concentration.
The use of a grey anti-hail net on apple orchards is a suitable alternative for the protection of apple trees
against hail ensuring the production of the crop without compromising fruit quality.
