On the mechanisms of the sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit cracking: Swelling or shrinking?

This short communication brings to the attention of the scientific community a new hypothesis about the mechanism of the sweet cherry fruit cracking, which is a problem in most producing areas of the world and causes significant economic losses. It is commonly accepted that fruit crack after rainfalls because of the fruit-flesh swelling due to osmotic imbibition of water by cells. The proposed hypothesis attributes this phenomenon to fruit skin shrinking after its rapid cooling, caused by a rainfall or by sharp drop of the ambient temperature. If the proposed mechanism is correct, the cracking prevention measures should be thoroughly revised. Paradoxically, the expensive rain-preventing covers may be replaced by cheaper systems for cooling overhead (micro)sprinkling, which to be operated in the days with an unfavorable forecast. All related chemical treatments would not make sense anymore as well. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.