Improve Apple Yield and Quality
Improved Plant Health and Sunburn Protection
While sunlight is essential for the health of apple orchards, excessive sunlight and heat can take a heavy toll on fruit, increasing stress on trees and reducing apple quality. Surround® Agricultural Crop Protectant provides a proven solution to these environmental factors that affect apple orchards. It covers plant and fruit surfaces to help protect against heat stress for improved water utilization and increased rates of photosynthesis. And, it reduces sunburned fruit, which means higher-quality, more-marketable apples.
Reduces Temperature of Fruit and Trees
Since 1999, growers in the United States have used Surround with positive results. When applied before severe heat conditions appear and reapplied when needed throughout the hot season, Surround’s unique calcined kaolin particles reflect the damaging infrared and ultraviolet radiation that increases plant and fruit surface temperatures, impacting tree health and fruit quality. Extensive orchard research shows that fruit temperatures of 114 to 120° F can cause sunburn damage. Applications of Surround can lower apple skin temperatures by 10° F or more and tree surface temperatures by 5 to 10° F. In addition, the Surround protective film on plant and fruit surfaces increases the deflection of light within the canopy, which improves fruit color.
Research Studies Prove Effectiveness
In a 2008 Washington field trial on Granny Smith apples, applications of Surround Agricultural Crop Protectant reduced sunburn in apples more effectively than competitive brands of particle film (see Table I). More importantly, the Surround-treated trees provided a significant return on the grower’s investment (see Table II).
Table I. Surround Provides Superior Sun Burn Protection
| # of Sunburned Apples per 400 | % Sunburned Apples | ||
| Untreated Check | 162.75 | 40.75 | a |
| Surround | 53.00 | 13.50 | c |
| Raynox® | 92.75 | 23.50 | b |
| EclipseTM | 110.75 | 27.75 | b |
| Numbers followed by letter are significantly different at p=0.1 | |||
Table II. Surround Provides a Significant Return on Investment
| Untreated | Surround | |
| Number of Bins Picked/A | 30 | 30 |
| % Sunburn | 40% | 14% |
| Number of Marketable Bins/A | 18 | 26 |
| Revenue Per Acre @ $250/Bin | $4,500 | $6,500 |
| Average Season Cost/A for Material (5 Sprays) | -- | $150 |
Recommendations for Apples Timing:
Apply Surround WP to sunburn-prone fruit, leaf, limb and trunk bark surfaces before conditions leading to sunburn occur. If initiating sprays for sunburn suppression where there have been no prior sprays, provide thorough coverage of all fruit or other plant surfaces prior to sunburn-causing conditions with two full-rate applications 7 days apart. Depending upon the length of the high-heat period, three to four applications in total often are needed, with subsequent applications every 7 to 21 days. Concentration: Use at 25 to 50 lbs (depending on tree size) of Surround WP per acre in sufficient water for complete coverage.
Application Tips
- Avoid foliage run off. Apply to achieve near-drip coverage.
- Best results are usually achieved at 50 lbs per 100 gallons of water.
- Surfactants may improve spreading.
- Consult the specimen label for instructions on aerial application.
- See Surround Spray Guide for more information on application techniques
In addition to reducing the percentage of sunburned fruit and reducing heat stress, Surround helps suppress certain insect pests.
Special Washing Considerations for Application on Apples: Washing of apples is recommended unless only early season applications are made and the Surround protective film is allowed to weather off before harvest. Typically, Surround washes off with packing line brushing and forced water sprays. An approved washing detergent is helpful if used in the packing line and/or wash tank. Perform a pre-harvest washing trial to determine if a washing detergent is necessary. Waxing further improves fruit appearance.
For fresh market apples that will not be waxed, such as apples for organic markets or specific export markets that DO NOT accept waxed apples, or for washed crops where traces of white residue are not acceptable, cease applications far in advance of harvest to allow residue to weather off completely.
For Red Delicious and Braeburn apple varieties DO NOT apply any later than two months prior to harvest.
DO NOT apply to orchards cooled with overhead cooling systems.
