Operational Group: Improving the color of the bicolor apple

The Task Force is pursuing the development of a project whose main objective is to improve the coloration of the bicolor apple, particularly the Gala and Pink Lady cultivars.

Improving the color of bicolor apples is key to the profitability of the plantation, as the price received by farmers is determined by the percentage of color and size of the fruit.

In Catalonia, annual losses due to lack of coloration are estimated at around €3.25-3.9 million. New tools now exist that allow for a new approach to improving coloration.

One of them is the use of remote sensing to categorize the ideal vigor that confers greater fruit quality in different plantations. Based on this categorization, corrective measures can be implemented, such as: reducing N and adjusting irrigation, defoliation, combined application of phytohormones and green pruning, application of biostimulants, and placement of reflective nets.