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- Author or Editor: Harold J. Larsen x
Reduction of heat stress disorders of `Golden Delicious' apples, such as sunburn, has been accomplished with cellulose fibers that modify reflective fruit surface properties. Incidence of sunburn on apples, directly exposed to sunlight, was decreased from 38% for untreated fruit to 12.5% for apples treated with cellulose fibers and binding agent and to 25.1% for apples treated with the binding agent only. Field stability of the binding agent (1% colloidal suspension of corn starch) was improved over the formulation used during the previous growing season. It was found that heating the starch suspension to 121C for 15 minutes increased its stability as a binding agent. A cumulative total of 3 cm (over three events) removed enough fibers to necessitate reapplication of the reflectant. The cellulose fiber/binder residue remaining at harvest was readily removed from fruit surface with water and a brush. Specialized sprayer was developed to deliver long fiber cellulose formulations that conventional sprayers are not capable of dispensing.