Impact of Reflective Ground Film on Fruit Quality, Condition, and Post-Harvest of Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) cv. Regina Cultivated Under Plastic Cover in Southern Chile

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Pleese the author to see the file 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear reviewer,

Thanks for your comments. We added a letter (please see the attached).

Best regards,

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The MS “Impact of Reflective Ground Film on Fruit Quality, Condition, and Post-Harvest of Sweet Cherry cv. Regina Cultivated Under Plastic Cover in Southern Chile” investigates the impact of reflective ground film during 21 or 34 DBH (days before harvest) in a commercial sweet cherry orchard (cv. Regina) grown under plastic cover in Southern Chile. The MS is well written and thoroughly described; however, minor revisions are needed to improve the manuscript.

Manuscript language needs to be revised by an expert as many grammatical errors have spotted

Add botanical name of sweet cherry in manuscript title

Line 56-58: Add production statistics (tonnes/ha) along with cultivated area.

86-88: Why is light interception poor to lower canopy, especially using these rootstocks? Extensive shoot growth or what?

Line 121-122: September 2020-February 2021; what’s this growing period describing? Floral bud initiation, fruit formation, or fruit development?

Line 191: How was the canopy zoned and into how many zones?

Why was reflective film placed at 21 and 34 DBH? Specific reason (sugar accumulation stage, fruit size increasing, color development stage, etc)

Line 212-213: Why the chroma meter was not used for skin colour estimation?

306-307: “Fruit calibre falls between 28 and 30 mm category." How many calibre sizes were used to estimate fruit size?

Table 5: Is fruit quality at harvest study not differentiated into lower and upper canopy zones?

It is better to provide pictorial view of tree canopy to understand the light interception in both canopy zones

 

Also provide fruits size pictures among different treatments for understanding of results

Good Luck!

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The language used in the manuscript is not up to the standard for publication, and several major and minor mistakes are shown, and many of the phrases are not clear. It should go through a complete proof-reading by a native speaker

Author Response

Dear reviewer,

Thanks for your comments. We added a letter (please see the attached).

Best regards,

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study investigates the effects of using reflective film to improve the quality and shelf life of sweet cherries grown under plastic cover. It is evaluated as research that is practically needed in the field of cherry agriculture. In particular, it analyzes the impact of reflective film on key quality indicators such as sugar content, acidity, and fruit firmness, demonstrating academic value by comparing results under various treatment conditions. The experimental design is systematic, and the data collection and analysis methods are well-structured, highlighting the reliability of this study as a strength.

However, the following improvements are necessary:

 First, the reason for applying the reflective film 21 days and 34 days before harvest is not specified.

Second, the color of the cherries was evaluated visually, which could rely on subjective judgment by the evaluators. Utilizing objective measurement tools such as a colorimeter could enhance the reliability of the data.

Third, the literature review section is relatively brief. Expanding on the connections with similar existing studies could increase the credibility of the research results.

 

Fourth, while the conclusion clearly presents the advantages and disadvantages of using reflective film, including practical applications of the study results or future research directions based on the findings would further emphasize the practical significance of this study. 

In conclusion, this study addresses practical issues to improve sweet cherry quality and shelf life, offering results with high applicability in the field of agriculture. However, if the aforementioned improvements are addressed, this paper would be deemed suitable for publication in Agronomy.

Author Response

Dear reviewer,

Thanks for your comments. We added a letter (please see the attached).

Best regards,

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have carefully addressed all the requested revisions, and the manuscript has been significantly improved as a result. The changes made have enhanced the clarity, quality, and overall presentation of the work.