The Latest Methods for Preventing and Treating Mango Sunscald

Mango is a fruit that everyone loves very much. It is distributed across various tropical regions and is a typical tropical fruit, rich in nutrients and known as the “king of fruits.” However, because it is a tropical fruit, it also comes with some problems caused by high-temperature damage, and sunscald is one of them. Sunscald mainly occurs on the fruit and bark, causing cracking and dropping. It seriously affects yield, so how can sunscald be effectively prevented and treated? Let's take a look below!

1. Fertilizing

The fruit trees can be fertilized appropriately to strengthen the tree's resistance. After harvesting the fruit, prune the fruit trees reasonably and apply sufficient fertilizer. Strengthen soil fertility and promote the growth and development of the fruit tree roots so that the roots can extend deeper and longer. This can not only prevent high-temperature damage, but also effectively resist winter freeze damage.

2. Watering

In high-temperature weather, the orchard should be watered reasonably to improve the orchard conditions. When summer is approaching or before high-temperature weather arrives, the fruit trees should be watered appropriately. Lowering the orchard temperature and increasing moisture can effectively strengthen the transpiration of the fruit trees. When the temperature is too high, water can be sprayed directly on the tree body, using artificial cooling methods.

3. Pruning

Prune the fruit trees appropriately so that they can naturally shade the fruit. Pruning in the high-temperature season is different from winter pruning. The aspect of shading must be taken into consideration. Overly long branches and leaves are themselves a very good shading tool. Therefore, reasonable pruning of fruit trees and maintaining a reasonable balance of flowers and fruit can effectively shade the fruit and reduce sunscald.

4. Planting Grass

Planting green grass or Asteraceae plants in the orchard can effectively improve the soil environment and strengthen the soil's moisture retention. Moreover, green grass can also effectively lower the temperature inside the orchard and increase the relative humidity in the orchard air, which is very beneficial for cooling the fruit. It is also very easy and has almost no cost. It can also reduce sunscald.

5. Bagging

Different fruit bags can be selected for bagging treatment according to fruit size and growth conditions. The fruit bags need to be light-blocking and highly water-repellent, and ideally high-quality fruit bags that can refract sunlight. Otherwise, not only will the fruit be unable to set properly, but it will also have a relatively large impact on subsequent growth and development. The bagging time should not be chosen on a sunny day; it should be done in cool weather, because too high a temperature inside the bag will instead have the opposite effect.

6. Whitewashing

Whitewashing the trunks of fruit trees is very important. Whitewashing can not only effectively prevent and control the occurrence of pests and diseases, but also reduce the incidence of sunscald. Whitewash agents sold on the market can be mixed with quicklime water and other substances to whitewash the trunks. There are also different whitewashing methods; please refer to previous articles for details, because white does not absorb heat and reflects light, which can greatly reduce sunburn.

7. Shade Nets

Some shading devices can be made manually, for example, white cardboard can be made into shade boards at trunk height and placed around the tree, which can protect the trunk from sunlight and reflect it away. A layer of shade net can also be set up above the orchard, covering it when the sun is strongest and removing it once the sun gradually weakens.

The seven points above are the methods for preventing and treating sunscald. Preventing and treating sunscald is something that all tropical fruits need to pay attention to; otherwise, the fruit trees may suffer relatively serious damage if care is not taken. Therefore, everyone must strengthen orchard management in order to increase yield and enhance quality. This article is for reference only, and we hope it is helpful to everyone.