sunscald

[suhn-skawld]

noun

1. injury to the leaves, bark, or underlying tissues of woody plants due to the combined effects of heat, humidity, and intense sunshine.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sunscald¹

First recorded in 1850–55; sun + scald ¹

Example Sentences

The other damage that your garden crops can suffer during a heat wave is sunscald.

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Sunscald is what it sounds like: too much light on developing fruit, which causes pale-colored patches.

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A coat of white latex paint protects the bark from sunscald, reflecting sunlight so the bark does not heat up during the day.

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And then there’s cold weather to dry out or sunscald the trees.

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Sunscald, caused by fluctuations in bark temperature, is most likely to occur on the southwest-facing bark because that’s where it’s last heated by day before the sun — and temperatures — plummet.

Read more on Washington Times