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Diario PYME

UPV Discovers How to Reduce Fruit Cracking in Citrus by up to 70%

A team from the Polytechnic University of Valencia has demonstrated the effectiveness of a plant hormone in improving the skin resistance of oranges and mandarins.

Generic image of an orange on an orange tree, with blurred green leaves in the background.
IA

Generic image of an orange on an orange tree, with blurred green leaves in the background.

A team from the Mediterranean Agroforestry Institute at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) has demonstrated that an early application of a plant hormone can significantly reduce fruit cracking in citrus.

This discovery addresses one of the main economic problems in the global citrus sector, as cracking can lead to losses of up to 40% of the harvest in varieties such as the Nova mandarin or Navel oranges.
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"Oranges and mandarins may seem resistant fruits, but those with very thin skin tightly attached to the pulp are very vulnerable to a problem that greatly concerns farmers, which is their cracking. When the fruit pulp grows faster than its skin, the peel cannot withstand the pressure and a crack appears, ultimately leading to fruit cracking. These fruits can no longer be sold, causing significant economic losses year after year."

a UPV researcher
The study, conducted in commercial Nova mandarin plantations in the Valencian Community, reveals that the application of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) at a specific stage of fruit development can reduce cracking by up to 70%. This improvement is achieved without affecting fruit size or quality, and it translates into a significant increase in final harvest yield.
The key to this treatment lies in strengthening the fruit's skin from within. The peel cells become larger, more flexible, and have thicker walls, allowing the skin to stretch better as the fruit grows, thus preventing cracking. Furthermore, the new 2,4-D formulation does not require large quantities of the product, but rather a precise application at the right moment, when the fruit begins its linear growth phase.
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"It's not about using more product, but about applying it just when the fruit begins its linear growth phase. Even with a single application at that early stage, we have achieved great results. It is important to spray most of the fruits on the tree because the effect is direct on the outer part of the peel. In some cases, the reduction of damaged fruits was almost half with just a single, timely treatment."

a UPV researcher
This study, published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, complements pioneering research from the 1990s and provides a detailed explanation of the mechanism of action and the optimal timing for treatment.

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