Abstract

Southern Chile has become a prominent region for sweet cherry production. However, environmental constraints and low P availability can adversely affect fruit quality and conditions in southern Chile. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of foliar phosphorus (P) on fruit quality, condition, and antioxidant content at harvest and postharvest storage in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cv. Regina was cultivated under a plastic cover in Southern Chile. For this, sweet cherry trees were subjected to three treatments: control (no P), 1.5 L ha⁻¹, and 2.2 L ha⁻¹ foliar P. In our study, no significant effects were observed on average fruit weight, size, or total soluble solids among P treatments. However, P applications increased the proportion of large fruit (>32 mm), enhanced dark mahogany coloration, and pulp antioxidant content (total phenols and anthocyanins). Interestingly, the 2.2 L ha⁻¹ treatment reduced postharvest disorders, including pitting (70%), dehydration (31%), orange peel (56%), and internal browning (29%) compared to the control trees. These results suggest that foliar P application could be an agronomic tool to improve fruit quality and condition in sweet cherry production under plastic covers cultivated in soils with low P availability.