A Ministry of Agriculture research station has developed an innovative sun-protection growing bag for red-flesh guavas, which is expected to increase profits by about NT$12,000 per square meter.
The Yilan Plain is a major guava-producing region, and red-flesh guava is a signature variety.
However, rising temperatures and prolonged exposure to intense sunlight, worsened by climate change, have made guava crops increasingly susceptible to sunburn, the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station
While white-flesh “pearl” guavas, known for their crisp texture, are more common, Yilan’s red-flesh guavas have a softer texture and are particularly vulnerable to sun damage, especially when ripening between June and August, it said.
Guava fruits growing on the outer canopy are at risk of sunburn when temperatures reach 35°C or higher for more than two-and-a-half hours, the station said.
Under such conditions, traditional plastic growing bags trap the heat and raise the internal temperature to more than 45°C, it said.
If such high-temperature conditions persist for several days, the fruits might receive severe sunburn, significantly reducing their market value, it added.
To mitigate the economic losses for farmers, the station developed a new growing bag featuring a patented polyethylene material on one side, which can lower the internal temperature by up to 13.8°C at midday during summer, it said.
The bag’s other side uses traditional transparent plastic, allowing farmers to monitor color changes and determine fruit maturity, the station said.
Tests showed that the anti-sunburn growing bag reduced sunburn incidence in red-flesh guavas by 70 percent, increased average fruit weight by 13.6 percent and enhanced sweetness by 1.3° Brix, it said.
While each advanced bag costs NT$8 to NT$8.5, significantly more than traditional bags priced at NT$0.1, only 15 to 20 percent of guava fruits are directly exposed to sunlight and would require that level of protection, the station said.
Trial use of the anti-sunburn bags across seven guava farms in Yilan County showed that the bags could boost red-flesh guava profits by about NT$12,000 per square meter, the station said, adding that the technology could also be applied to other guava varieties.
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