Effects of Protective Netting on Fruit Production and Quality

Protective netting has become integral to modern horticulture, offering a versatile means of shielding fruit crops from hail, wind, excessive solar radiation and pest incursions while concurrently modifying microclimatic conditions and spectral quality of incident light. By attenuating harmful ultraviolet and infrared radiation and altering the red to far-red light ratio, netting systems can reduce fruit sunburn, modulate photosynthetic fluxes and influence secondary metabolite accumulation, thus impacting fruit appearance, flavour and nutritional attributes. Mesh size, shading factor and net colour determine the balance between light interception and air circulation, with implications for stomatal conductance, leaf gas exchange and canopy temperature. Across a spectrum of fruit species—including apples, nectarines and blueberries—application of photoselective or exclusion nets has been shown to mitigate physiological disorders, enhance fruit surface integrity and optimise yield. Moreover, integration of anti-insect netting offers a pesticide-free strategy for pest control, contributing to sustainable production and food security. Ongoing research highlights the interplay between light spectral management and microclimate modulation as central to the agronomic and quality outcomes of netting interventions.

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Effects of Protective Netting on Fruit Production and Quality publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in effects of protective netting on fruit production and quality across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Photoselective netting: Netting designed to filter specific spectral bands of sunlight to influence plant physiological responses.

Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR): The spectral range (400–700 nm) of sunlight that drives photosynthesis.

Exclusion netting: Fine-mesh barriers that prevent pest access while allowing light and air movement.

Shade avoidance mechanism: A plant growth response to low red to far-red light ratios, often resulting in elongated stems and altered leaf morphology.

Source–sink relationship: The translocation of photosynthates from photosynthetic ‘source’ organs to ‘sink’ organs such as developing fruit.

References

1. Growing under photoselective nets affects the gas exchange and chemical composition of the leaves of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) before and after harvest. European Journal of Agronomy (2025).
2. Shade nets effect on canopy light distribution and quality of fruit and spur leaf on apple cv. Fuji. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research (2005).
3. Photoselective Protective Netting Improves “Honeycrisp” Fruit Quality. Plants (2020).
4. Light quality characterization under climate screens and shade nets for controlled-environment agriculture. PLOS ONE (2018).
5. Microclimate alterations caused by agricultural hail net coverage and effects on apple tree yield in subtropical climate of Southern Brazil. Bragantia (2017).
6. First Multi-Target Application of Exclusion Net in Nectarine Orchards: Effectiveness against Pests and Impact on Beneficial Arthropods, Postharvest Rots and Fruit Quality. Insects (2021).
7. Sustainable Food Production: Innovative Netting Concepts and Their Mode of Action on Fruit Crops. Sustainability (2022).
8. Red and Blue Netting Alters Leaf Morphological and Physiological Characteristics in Apple Trees. Plants (2021).