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Plastic covers have been used to prevent environmental constraints negatively affecting sweet cherry production in Southern Chile. However, less information is available on agronomic practices and their effects on fruit quality in sweet cherry covered orchards. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the impact of fruit load regulation on cherries’ antioxidant-related parameters and the quality and condition at harvest and postharvest in sweet cherry (Prunus avium) cv. Regina that was cultivated under a plastic cover in Southern Chile. For this, four fruit load treatments were manually applied—(i) 100% fruit load (the control), (ii) 80% fruit load, (iii) 60% fruit load, and (iv) 40% fruit load—in a commercial sweet cherry orchard for two seasons (2021/2022 and 2022/2023). The results revealed that the yield and fruit load were not significantly different between the treatments. Interestingly, the 60% and 40% fruit loads increased the fresh weight, fruit size, and firmness (20.3%) compared to the control (the 100% fruit load) during both seasons. Likewise, the 60% and 40% fruit load treatments exhibited the highest fruit size distribution of 30 mm, while the 100 and 80% fruit load treatments showed the highest fruit distribution with fruit sizes between 28 mm and 24 mm. The total soluble solids (TSSs) did not vary among the fruit load treatments, while a significant increase was found in the titratable acidity (TA) in the 60 and 40% fruit load treatments during both seasons. No significant differences in antioxidant activity (AA) and total phenols (TPHs) among the treatments were observed during both seasons. Overall, the results revealed that the fruit load treatments, mainly 40%, increased the fruit weight and firmness and reduced pitting in fruits by 39.4% at postharvest. Thus, fruit thinning might be an important agronomical practice to regulate fruit load, positively affecting fruit quality at harvest and during postharvest storage in sweet cherry cv. Regina cultivated under a plastic cover. However, more biochemical and molecular studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism involved in this improvement.

Resumen Los ecosistemas entregan una variedad de beneficios a la sociedad humana y la utilización de los ecosistemas por parte de la humanidad afecta su composición, estructura y funciones. Los forzantes del cambio global nos exigen estudiar las interacciones entre los sistemas ecológicos y sociales, y desarrollar estrategias para proteger los ecosistemas únicos del país. La investigación y el monitoreo a largo plazo son vitales para una comprensión significativa de los impactos humanos y las interacciones socio-ecológicas, que ocurren en múltiples escalas espaciales y temporales y pueden ser invisibles para los estudios tradicionales de corto plazo, patrocinados por subvenciones. A pesar de la abundancia de ecosistemas únicos, las agencias gubernamentales chilenas no han establecido programas de monitoreo de largo plazo para informar y guiar las decisiones de manejo vinculadas con el uso y conservación de los ecosistemas y la adaptación al cambio climático. En respuesta a este vacío, se creó la Red Chilena de Investigación Socio-Ecológica de Largo Plazo (LTSER-Chile), que comprende nueve sitios de estudio financiados por una variedad de instituciones públicas y privadas, que buscan comprender de manera amplia cómo el cambio global está alterando la biodiversidad y las funciones de los ecosistemas. LTSER-Chile se encuentra actualmente en una fase de consolidación para lograr sus objetivos de alineamiento con los esfuerzos internacionales, satisfacer la necesidad de datos de largo plazo y alta calidad de componentes sociales, biológicos y físicos de los ecosistemas chilenos, y desarrollar una plataforma de investigación abierta al mundo. A pesar de la variabilidad de los sitios LTSER-Chile se monitorean algunas variables comunes, especialmente climáticas y ecológicas, considerando fluctuaciones temporales, dinámicas poblacionales y comunitarias. Los principales desafíos que enfrenta actualmente LTSER-Chile son: asegurar el financiamiento para mantener los programas de monitoreo de largo plazo existentes, persuadir a los tomadores de decisiones públicos y privados sobre su rol en informar y anticipar los problemas socio-ecológicos y, lograr una mayor representatividad de los ecosistemas mediante la integración de nuevos sitios de estudio de largo plazo. Esto requiere un compromiso político más decisivo del Estado, para mejorar la gestión de nuestros ecosistemas terrestres y marinos únicos, y la comprensión de que las políticas sólidas y ecológicamente sostenibles nunca serán posibles sin una red nacional de monitoreo. El Estado debe basarse en LTSER-Chile y otras iniciativas privadas y universitarias para proporcionar al país una red de monitoreo. En ausencia de este compromiso, la investigación de largo plazo se expone a la discontinuidad de sus sistemas de monitoreo, los cuales son parte de un esfuerzo para comprender el funcionamiento de la naturaleza y su biodiversidad.

In the original publication [...]

In rainy areas, sweet cherries are cultivated under plastic covers, preventing the cracking of the fruit but decreasing the firmness and acidity of the cherries. We evaluated the impact of plastic cover and pre-harvest K foliar application on quality parameters, antioxidant properties, and phenolic and organic acid compositions in fruits of sweet cherry cv. Regina of Southern Chile. Our results showed that K+ increased firmness, total soluble content, size, fruit weight, and titratable acidity at harvest, independent of the cover factor. The positive impacts of foliar K fertilization on anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids could explain the higher antioxidant capacity of fruits. Our study revealed that the additional K doses applied increased malic acid, the main organic acid in cherry fruits, but only in fruits from uncovered trees. In covered trees, the effect was reversed. Citric acid was higher in fruit from covered trees. Our results indicated that tartaric acid also increased with the application of higher K doses; however, this acid was detectable only in uncovered tree fruit. Interestingly, all organic acids were lower in fruits produced in the lower canopy than those detected in fruits harvested from the upper canopy. This showed the positive impact of canopy light exposure on maintaining suitable acidity levels in sweet cherry fruits.

In rainy locations, sweet cherry is cultivated under plastic covers, which are useful to prevent fruit cracking but decrease cherry quality such as firmness and acidity. Here we evaluate the impact of pre-harvest K foliar applications on harvest and post-harvest fruit quality and condition of sweet cherry cultivated under plastic covers in southern Chile orchards. The study was performed on two commercial orchards (cv. Regina), located in different regions, during two consecutive seasons. In all cases, a conventional K regime (four sprays) was compared to an intensive K regimen (seven sprays). Results showed that cherries from the most southern region revealed lower acidity but higher soluble solids content weight and size. The intensive K regime improved the firmness and acidity of fruits of covered trees at harvest and post-harvest. Moreover, we found that condition defects were higher in fruits from un-covered trees and that trees grown under intensive K regime showed lower levels of cracking at harvest and pitting at post-harvest compared to trees treated with the conventional K regime. Otherwise, pedicel browning was inconsistently affected by K sprays. Our results revealed that an intensive K regime could improve the quality and condition of fruits at harvest and post-harvest in covered orchards of sweet cherry cv. Regina; however, the impacts can significantly vary depending on season and locality.