Application of Colored Nets to Prevent Sunburn and Increase Pomegranate Fruit Quality

A prevalent problem in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit is sunburn which reduces fruit quality. This study aimed to reduce the severity of sunburn during the fruit development of pomegranate by covering them with colored netted bags. Kaolin (5%) as a traditional treatment to reduce sunburn was used to compare the efficiency of noble and traditional techniques. The netted bags used were either white, green, yellow, gray or blue. This study was carried out on a commercial cultivar (Rabab-e-Neyriz) over a period of two successive years. The color of the netted bags affected the anthocyanin content of arils at harvest besides minimizing the levels of sunburn. Fruit of the control group were damaged notably (32.26%) by sunburn, compared to those covered with blue and white netted bags (0%). The highest amount of ascorbic acid and the minimum amount of anthocyanin were recorded in the fruit covered with blue netted bags. The lowest degree of aril whitening (discoloration of arils) was observed when fruit were covered with white bags. Covering the fruit with gray netted bags caused the highest antioxidant activity and the highest total phenolic content in the arils. Overall, covering fruit with netted bags is recommended to prevent sunburn and to enhance fruit quality.