Heat Stress and Water Irrigation Management Effects on the Fruit Color and Quality of ‘Hongro’ Apples

Increasing fruit crop production sustainability under climate change, particularly increasing temperatures, is a major challenge in modern agriculture. High temperatures affect apple fruit quality and decrease its color. Herein, we constructed an experimental field under temperature simulation to evaluate climate change mitigation strategies for apples. ‘Hongro’ apples were subjected to three treatments: (1) cultivation inside a vinyl house for heat treatment (heat induction), (2) cultivation under water irrigation (heat reduction), and (3) cultivation under normal atmospheric temperature (control). At harvest, the fruits of the heat treatment group exhibited poor coloration, with a lower gene expression and pigment accumulation than those of the water irrigation and control groups. Furthermore, the fruit quality of the heat treatment group decreased, with a lower soluble solid content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA), and smaller fruits. Additionally, a higher fruit disorder (cracking and spots) ratio was observed in the heat treatment group than in the water irrigation and control groups. However, the fruits of the water irrigation group exhibited higher quality indexes (flesh firmness, SSC, and TA) and less cracking than those of the heat treatment and control groups. Heat reduction, including water irrigation, may be used for orchard management to prevent climate change-induced increasing temperatures.