Champlain Valley Harvest Maturity Program Report: Week 6
Mike Basedow and Jenn Stanton, CCE-ENYCHP, Northern NY
This week we are reporting on Gala, Rogers Mac, Honeycrisp, Cortland, and NY-1. The Gala, Macs, and Honeycrisp have all been picked through at least once at this point, and follow-up picks can be conducted once sufficient color justifies another picking. The Cortland block may be ready to pick for long-term storage by the end of the week, while NY-1 are likely more than a week out from their first pick.
This week’s samples were collected on Monday September 18th 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 McIntosh and Cortland. Gala, Honeycrisp, and NY-1 were “spot-picked” for the reddest fruit.
As blocks continue to 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 we have them, we’ll also include data from previous years to serve as a comparison.
Weekly Summary of Fruit Maturity Progress
Gala for 9/16/2024
Comments: The block we are following has been spot picked heavily last week, so we are looking at the few remaining fruit left in the block. The starch pattern is still fairly low on the remaining fruit, and while color is acceptable, is not the dark red that we would expect with a high coloring strain. Brix is low on the remaining fruit, and the DA readings on these are still above a 0.4. I think the remaining fruit can likely use another week or two before I would go back through to get the remaining fruit. Blocks that haven’t received a first pick yet are likely in the prime picking window in most of the Champlain Valley at this point.
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. DA for long term storage is generally above 0.4. Testing finished here.
McIntosh for 9/16/2024
Comments: This block has been heavily picked over at this point, so we were looking at some later pick fruit this morning. Firmness on the remaining fruit was still above the 15 lb long-term storage recommendation. Fruit sampled remained below the 5-6 SPI range as well. When I ran the CA cutoff model for macs earlier this summer, the model suggested a CA cutoff date of September 19th for Peru. I think fruit from this block are still a good candidate for long-term storage, though I think we are approaching the cutoff date this week. We will test this block again next week.
Honeycrisp for 9/16/2024
Comments: We looked at the same two Honeycrisp blocks again this week. Block 1 has been picked over twice, while block 2 has been spot picked once. Background color on many of the fruit we looked at are becoming more cream than green at this point. SPI averaged 5.6 in the first block, and 3.4 in block 2. Firmness is still holding above 14 pounds, and brix is below 13%. The fruit I tasted in both blocks had good varietal flavor. At this point, I would consider doing an additional pick in each block once there is enough color to justify coming back through again.
To determine harvest readiness, 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 blocks next week.
Cortland for 9/16/2024
Comments: The long-term CA storage guidelines for Cortland are an SPI range of 2.5-3.5 and firmness above 15 pounds. In our 10 fruit sample this week, the highest SPI reached a 2. Firmness is still in relatively good shape at 16.4 pounds. I think this block might be ready for a first pick for long-term CA storage later this week, or possibly early next week. We will continue testing this block next week.
NY-1 for 9/16/2024
Comments: Color was very good in the spot picked fruit we sampled this week. However, depending on the block, background color is still fairly green, fruit are still very firm, and brix is below the recommended 13-15% range. Flavor was still lacking in both blocks that I sampled. I think both blocks are likely still at least a week out from their first spot pick. We will test these blocks again next week.
For NY-1, you are aiming for a minimum of 2/3 red color. The target color should be a dark red; however, fruit harvested earlier for CA will likely not have perfect color. Target firmness is 15-18 pounds, target brix is 13-15%. The SPI is targeted at 3-5, but this may not be a particularly reliable indicator. As with last season, there is the intent to put more fruit in controlled atmosphere (CA), for marketing in 2025. A percentage of fruit will still be picked later for more tree-ripened flavor and put into regular atmosphere (RA) for sale in the fall and early winter. Stay in close contact with your individual marketer/packer for harvest timing and marketing plans for your NY-1 blocks.
Next week we will continue testing the Roger Mac, Honeycrisp, Cortland, and NY-1 blocks. We will likely also begin testing Macoun and Ambrosia.