La posición en el dosel afecta la calidad de frutos tropicales y subtropicales

The position of tropical and subtropical fruits in the canopy is essential for determining their quality, as it is strongly influenced by solar radiation, which acts directly on the outer canopy or indirectly on the inner canopy. The objective of this review was to examine the role of fruit position within the tree canopy on fruit quality, with an emphasis on tropical and subtropical species. In general, fleshy fruits on the outside of the canopy, which are well exposed to sunlight, are distinguished by their greater firmness and content of total soluble solids, sugars, ascorbic acid, antioxidant activity, phenolics, carotenoids, flavonoids, and color, but also by H2O2 and O2−. Meanwhile, fruits inside the canopy not only accumulate higher amounts of the antioxidants peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), but also acidity. Fruit position also influences disease incidence, mainly due to shade and higher humidity within the canopy. At the same time, physiological disorders such as epidermal discoloration, cracking, or wrinkling are more common in fruits exposed to high radiation. The practices that influence the fruit’s exposure to light include pruning, thinning, bagging, and shading nets. Pruning branches and thinning fruits promote light penetration and overall fruit quality. Fruit bagging particularly improves its phytosanitary condition, while shading nets protect the outer fruits from sunburn. The sun-exposed position of the fruits accelerates their ripening, indicating that the canopy position is of great importance in determining the optimal time for harvesting.