Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Apple Bagging Technology, Easy for Fruit Growers to Understand

Key Points of Apple Bagging Technology

From late May to early June each year, fruit growers bag apples to keep the fruit surface clean, prevent fruit russeting, protect the flesh from insect bites, and reduce pesticide residues in apples.

1 Bagging time

Bagging can be carried out from after the morning dew dries until evening. Bagging is not suitable on rainy days or in weather with dew. To prevent the fruit from wilting due to direct sunlight, bagging can be done from 8:30 to 11:30 in the morning and from 2:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon. The bagging time also differs for different apple varieties: yellow-green apples such as Golden Delicious, Orin, and Banana are generally bagged starting about 12 d after petal fall. Early-maturing red apples such as Gala, Jonagold, and Meiba are generally bagged about 25 d after petal fall. Late-maturing red apples such as Fuji, Red General, and Red Ruby are generally bagged starting 30 d after petal fall.

2 Types of bags

Two types of bags are generally used, one is plastic bags and the other is paper bags.

2.1 Advantages and disadvantages of plastic bags. Advantages: low price, earlier bagging time, protection of fruit from pest and disease contamination, and a higher rate of premium-grade apples. Disadvantages: after the fruit ripens, the background color is green and coloring is poor.

2.2 Advantages and disadvantages of paper bags. Advantages: smooth fruit surface, the fruit does not turn green, and after the paper bags are removed, coloring is fast. Disadvantages: paper bags are expensive, are easily soaked in rainy weather, the bags rot easily, and bagging is later, which can cause the fruit to be infected by pathogens.

2.3 Fruit growers can also use plastic bags together with paper bags about 20 d after petal fall. Advantages of using both together: after removing the outer paper bag, the plastic bag remains, so if drought or rain occurs, it will not cause major losses. After the fruit is harvested, it is stored in the fruit storage together with the plastic bag, which both retains water and keeps it fresh.

3 Bag removal time and method

Remove the bags 20~30 d before apple harvest, first removing the outer bag, then the inner bag.