Russeting

Four pears featuring various degrees of russeting

Russeting or russetting is an abnormality of fruit skin which manifests in russet-colored (brownish) patches that are rougher than healthy skin. It is a common feature in apples and pears. Russeting is typically an undesirable trait, which reduces the storage life of fruits and makes their appearance unattractive to consumers,[1] although some cultivars, so-called russet apples, are appreciated for the feature.

  1. ^ Lashbrooke, J.; Aharoni, A.; Costa, F. (2015). "Genome investigation suggests MdSHN3, an APETALA2-domain transcription factor gene, to be a positive regulator of apple fruit cuticle formation and an inhibitor of russet development". Journal of Experimental Botany. 66 (21): 6579–89. doi:10.1093/jxb/erv366. PMC 4623677. PMID 26220084.