Blue and green shade nets differentially regulate organic acid accumulation in citrus fruit
5 affiliations
- 1National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University
- 2Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University
- 3Key Laboratory of Genetics and Fruit Development, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University
- 4Department of Pomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University
- 5Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University
Abstract
Colored shade nets modify orchard microclimate and may influence citrus fruit metabolism and quality. We evaluated their effects on organic acid accumulation in ‘Newhall’ sweet orange ( Citrus sinensis ) over two consecutive growing seasons. In the first season, red, yellow, green, and blue nets at 40% and 60% shading were compared with open-field conditions; green 40% and blue 60%, which showed contrasting acidity responses, were evaluated further in the second season. Shade nets reduced photosynthetically active radiation, light intensity, and canopy temperature, increased relative humidity, maintained PSII efficiency, and generally lowered stress-related indicators. Blue 60% maintained the highest citric acid, malic acid, and titratable acidity, whereas green 40% produced the lowest acidity. These patterns were associated with distinct transcriptional responses: blue 60% showed sustained higher CsPH8 expression and stage-specific increases in CS2 and CS1 , while green 40% showed higher expression of several organic-acid degradation-related genes, including ACO , ACL3 , FUM , and NAD-ME . Correlation analysis further linked lower radiation and temperature, higher relative humidity, and improved PSII performance with greater organic acid accumulation and expression of acid synthesis- and storage-related genes. Collectively, the findings suggest that blue 60% shading is associated with improved organic acid retention through coordinated microclimatic, physiological, and transcriptional responses, supporting its potential for maintaining citrus fruit acidity under warm, high-radiation conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{elshahat2026blue,
title = {{Blue and green shade nets differentially regulate organic acid accumulation in citrus fruit}},
author = {Abdelmonem Elshahat and Yong-Zhong Liu and Essam Elatafi and Abdullah Alebidi and Abebe Assefa Gobena and Hai-Qiang Liu and Yin Luo and Basma Elhendawy and Rohoma Tahir and Sami Ur Rehman and Abdul Baess Keyhani and Rashid S. Al-Obeed and Mahmoud Abdel-Sattar},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1969799},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1969799/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Blue and green shade nets differentially regulate organic acid accumulation in citrus fruit
AU - Abdelmonem Elshahat
AU - Yong-Zhong Liu
AU - Essam Elatafi
AU - Abdullah Alebidi
AU - Abebe Assefa Gobena
AU - Hai-Qiang Liu
AU - Yin Luo
AU - Basma Elhendawy
AU - Rohoma Tahir
AU - Sami Ur Rehman
AU - Abdul Baess Keyhani
AU - Rashid S. Al-Obeed
AU - Mahmoud Abdel-Sattar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1969799
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1969799/full
AB - Colored shade nets modify orchard microclimate and may influence citrus fruit metabolism and quality. We evaluated their effects on organic acid accumulation in ‘Newhall’ sweet orange ( Citrus sinensis ) over two consecutive growing seasons. In the first season, red, yellow, green, and blue nets at 40% and 60% shading were compared with open-field conditions; green 40% and blue 60%, which showed contrasting acidity responses, were evaluated further in the second season. Shade nets reduced photosynthetically active radiation, light intensity, and canopy temperature, increased relative humidity, maintained PSII efficiency, and generally lowered stress-related indicators. Blue 60% maintained the highest citric acid, malic acid, and titratable acidity, whereas green 40% produced the lowest acidity. These patterns were associated with distinct transcriptional responses: blue 60% showed sustained higher CsPH8 expression and stage-specific increases in CS2 and CS1 , while green 40% showed higher expression of several organic-acid degradation-related genes, including ACO , ACL3 , FUM , and NAD-ME . Correlation analysis further linked lower radiation and temperature, higher relative humidity, and improved PSII performance with greater organic acid accumulation and expression of acid synthesis- and storage-related genes. Collectively, the findings suggest that blue 60% shading is associated with improved organic acid retention through coordinated microclimatic, physiological, and transcriptional responses, supporting its potential for maintaining citrus fruit acidity under warm, high-radiation conditions.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -