Sunscreen could be used to protect fruit and vegetables during the production period after a Californian grape grower sprayed his crops to stop them withering on the vine - and produced wrinkle-free fruit.

The special sun-block, made from small amounts of aloe vera and yucca - also used in sunscreen for humans - in a compost spray, could be used to safeguard other crops from the effects of global warming, said Aaron Pott, grape grower and winemaker at Quintessa vineyard.

He said: “The grapes face the same summer sun exposure dangers that concern bikini-clad sun bathers. We’re all aware of the benefits of aloe vera in protecting ourselves from sun damage. We simply took that evidence to the vineyard.”

Pott says the spray is so diluted that there is no residue by the time the grapes are picked.

He uses two to three ounces of yucca per acre and about four to five ounces of aloe vera gel per acre in a compost spray.

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