Pomegranate sunburn sun scald fruit protection bagging kaolin shade summer anar Rajasthan
How do I integrate sun scald and heat protection for pomegranate (anar) fruit in summer?
PPukhraj Choudhary6mo ago · 225 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓6mo ago
Pomegranate fruit on the sun-exposed side can get sunburn or scald in intense summer heat, showing pale to brown leathery patches that ruin grade. The main protections are bagging exposed fruit with butter paper or non-woven bags, which also guards against fruit borer, and maintaining enough leaf canopy to shade the fruit by sensible pruning rather than over-thinning. Some growers spray kaolin-based protective films or use shade nets in extreme heat, and keeping the plant well-watered helps it tolerate heat stress. Avoid exposing fruit suddenly by heavy pruning in peak summer. For the bagging material, any film spray, and canopy management suited to your area, confirm with your local KVK or horticulture department.
PPukhraj Choudhary6mo ago
Bagging gave us double benefit in our Jodhpur heat, the bags shaded the fruit from scald and kept the borer out at the same time. We use the proper bags on the exposed outer fruit that face the worst afternoon sun. The bagged fruit came out with clean skin and good colour while the unbagged exposed ones scalded.
MMangilal Bishnoi5mo ago
We learned not to over-thin or heavily prune just before the peak summer, because suddenly exposing fruit that grew under leaf cover guarantees scald. Keep enough canopy to shade the fruit and prune in the milder season instead. The kaolin film spray helped in the worst heat spell as a top-up, but the canopy is the first line of defence.
HHanuman Ram5mo ago
Keeping the plants well-watered through the heat made them tolerate the stress much better, a thirsty plant scalds far worse in our desert summer. We do not let the soil dry out in the peak heat and we mulch the basin to hold moisture and keep the root zone cooler. A few growers near us put up shade net over the worst-exposed rows in extreme years and it paid off on the grade.