Sunscald, sunburn and Solar injury are all used interchangeably. Although some research differentiate between them, here we use sunburn, sunscald and Solar injury to refer to damage on fruit and leaves by exposure to solar radiation in addition to excessive heat.

Beyond sunburn symptoms, affected fruit usually show other skin disorders, such as lenticel marking, and sunburn may predispose affected fruit to develop postharvest physiological disorders such as ‘Fuji’ stain, sunburn scald in ‘Granny Smith’ or internal browning. Also, various pathogens may gain entrance into the fruit through the affected area. Most of these disorders make fruit unmarketable.

The economic impact of fruit and plant wastage due to sunburn can be significant, affecting both individual growers and the broader agricultural industry. Sunburn damage occurs when fruits and plants are exposed to excessive sunlight and high temperatures, leading to a range of negative consequences. Temperature threshold can be as low as 28°C for tomatoes and yield might be effected as much as 50%. In most apple orchards, sunburn causes losses averaging 10% annually. In warmer climates such as Australia, South Africa, Spain, Italy, Turkey and Chile losses in unprotected orchards can often reach 30% to 40%