2024 Champlain Valley Harvest Maturity Program Report: Week 3
Mike Basedow and Jenn Stanton, CCE-ENYCHP, Northern NY
This week we evaluated Ginger Gold, Premier Honeycrisp, Roger Mac, Gala, and two Honeycrisp blocks from orchards around Peru. The Ginger Gold block appears to be ready for harvest this week, and the Premier Honeycrisp have been through a first picking at this point. Gala, Macs, and Honeycrisp are likely at least another week out.
This week’s samples were collected Monday August 26th and processed the same day. Fruit were picked from orchards in Peru.
Sample size is 10 fruit picked for average maturity, from multiple trees, on both sides of the row for the Ginger Gold and McIntosh. Honeycrisp and Gala were “spot-picked” for the most red fruit.
As blocks receive harvest management PGR’s I will update their treatment in the final data column so you can better compare against your blocks.
Due to the large amount of variability associated with strains, rootstock selections, planting systems, the widespread use of ReTain, Harvista, ethephon, and local orchard microclimates, it is impossible to sample and process enough locations to make specific harvest recommendations. ENYCHP HMP data is meant to be used as a general indicator of apple harvest maturity, and nothing more.
When I have them, I’ll also include data from previous years to serve as a comparison.
Weekly Summary of Fruit Maturity Progress
Ginger Gold for 8/26/2024
Comments: Fruit flavor was once again good in this block. Background color is creamy on most of the fruit we sampled this week. SPI is now close to 3. I believe this block is ready for harvest, and it was being harvested this morning as I was sampling fruit.
The main maturity index is the change in ground color from green to cream (earlier harvest, longer storage) or cream to yellow (short-term storage) and the development of varietal flavor. Testing finished here.
Premier Honeycrisp for 8/26/2024
Comments: This block was spot picked heavily last week. The fruit I selected on Monday are less advanced, with a greener background color compared to the first pick fruit. Brix, background color, and flavor all need more time to improve ahead of the next pick through here.
This new strain of Honeycrisp is supposed to color like the original, but mature about 3 weeks earlier. The same guidelines should apply to this strain as standard Honeycrisp. Firmness greater than 14 pounds and a brix above 13% are desirable. Do not pick fruit that have not developed “acceptable” varietal flavor and proper color. Ideal is the ground color turning to cream with 80% bright red cheek. Look for color that jumps out when the yellow background color makes the red almost florescent or iridescent. Once color change has happened, then an every other day walk-through is warranted to determine readiness. Testing finished here.
Gala for 8/26/2024
Comments: We are starting to see some color development in the block we are sampling, and background color is starting to pick up a little bit of cream. Fruit are still very firm, flavor is minimal, SPI is low, and brix is low. Looks like we’ve got some time here.
For Gala, firmness is not a major issue, and the starch pattern is an unreliable indicator of maturity. It is not uncommon to have a range of 1-7 or 2-8 in SPI’s from one 10 apple sample from a block, in which all the fruit (externally) look to be of nearly the same maturity. However, you want to target an average SPI of 3-4 for longer-term CA fruit and 5-6 for short-term RA fruit. Target a brix above 12%, and varietal flavor development. For long term CA stored fruit, you do not need to wait for background color change from light green to cream. Fruit with a bright yellow background are over-mature and should not be stored long-term, instead market these fruit immediately. We will continue testing this block next week.
McIntosh for 8/26/2024
Comments: Starch is averaging 2.5 in this block, still below the recommended 5-6 for CA storage. Fruit are still very firm, tart, and starchy. I think we’ve still got at least another week here.
For long-term storage with Macs, you are targeting a firmness of >15 lbs, and an SPI of 5-6. Note that starch conversion can be variable. We will continue testing this block next week.
Honeycrisp for 8/26/2024
Comments: I looked at two Honeycrisp blocks this week. The first block is further along than block 2. Background is starting to change from green to a greenish-cream, and SPI was approaching the 5-7 range on a few of the fruit sampled, though SPI is not very helpful in this variety. Fruit still have very good firmness, and brix is still well below 13%. The fruit I tasted was still somewhat lacking flavor. I think a spot pick might be possible in this block next week.
Block 2 fruit have shown very little movement in starch, and brix is still below 10%. Background color is also on the greener side, as reflected in the DA meter numbers. This second block is still probably well over a week out from being spot picked.
To determine harvest readiness for spot picking, look for color that “jumps out” when the yellow background color makes the red almost florescent or iridescent. Ideal is the ground color turning to cream with 80% bright red cheek. SPI is not relevant, but generally they’re over 7 in most fruit that are ready to pick. Target 5-6 for fruit destined for CA. A firmness greater than 14 pounds and a brix above 13% are desirable. Stem clipping is tedious, but will reduce the incidence of stem punctures in this high-value apple. Once color change has happened, then an every other day walk-through is warranted to determine readiness. We will continue testing these two blocks next week.
Testing completed for Ginger Gold and Premier Honeycrisp. We will continue testing the Gala, Rogers Mac, and the two Honeycrisp blocks next week.