Fruit can get sunburnt too: if it soaks up too much infrared, it goes brown.
Farmers often cover whole orchards. A cheaper remedy is now being patented by
Washington State University (WO 00/24264). They mix a thixotropic clay with an
emulsion containing beeswax, then spray the liquid mixture on the crop. The waxy
clay thickens and clings to the fruit, filtering out infrared. Tests on orchards
of apples have cut the incidence of sunburn by 73 per cent.
More from 91av
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Life
Jaguar makes epic 2100-kilometre journey across the Amazon
News
Environment
An island has been waging war on rats. They think they’ve finally won
Features
Environment
Matcha is under threat from climate change – can genomics save it?
News
Earth
Asteroid strike caused global firestorm that incinerated the dinosaurs
News
Popular articles
Trending 91av articles