Mike Basedow, CCE-ENYCHP, Northern NY

This week I am reporting on Marshall Mac, Rogers Mac, Honeycrisp, Buckeye Gala, NY-1, Royal Court Cortland, and Ambrosia.

This week’s samples were collected on Monday September 19^th and processed the same day. Fruit were picked from orchards in Peru and Chazy.

Sample size is 10 fruit picked for average maturity, from multiple trees, on both sides of the row for McIntosh and Cortland.  Honeycrisp, Gala, NY-1, and Ambrosia were “spot-picked” for the reddest 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

Comments: The Rogers Mac block is within the 5-6 SPI recommendation for long-term storage. The Marshall Mac block has been picked through once, which may explain the lower SPI values relative to the Rogers.  Firmness is still above the 15 lb long-term storage recommendation in the Marshall Mac block, but the larger Roger Macs are now getting close to that cutoff mark. Fruit are likely on the softer side this year from the adequate rainfall we’ve been having in Clinton county. Fruit are eating pretty well, and these should be picking before they get too soft for long-term storage.

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 these blocks next week.

Comments: Color is very good in the sampled fruit, but there are still a few trees where little color change has occurred.  Background color was cream in all of the fruits sampled. SPI is unreliable, but the fruit sampled are in range for long-term CA storage.  Brix looks to be low this year from the adequate rainfall we received in Clinton county this summer. Sampled fruit had a nice flavor. This block was spot picked late last week, and a high percentage was picked. A second pick can occur once additional fruit meet color standards.

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.  Testing concluded here. 

New research presented via Zoom on July 28 by Dr. Chris Watkins has changed storage recommendations for Gala.

In summary:

• PGR use –with appropriate timing.
• Harvest indices based on SPI and IAD (DA meter) values.
• 1-MCP treatment.
• Early harvest for long-term storage (even though size is sacrificed).
• 1-2% oxygen and 1% carbon dioxide for standard CA.
• 5% oxygen and 1% carbon dioxide if facilities allow.
• 38F storage temperature. Stem-end flesh browning (SEFB) was significantly reduced at this warmer temperature, with no major losses in quality. If you choose to still store at 33F, an earlier harvest is recommended with an SPI <4, DA Meter readings of 0.4-0.5, and firmness >17 lbs.

Comments:  Fruit in this block are now just below the 14 lbs firmness recommendation for long-term storage, and are within the 5-6 SPI range. Fruit sampled were low in brix, however there was varietal flavor in the apple I tasted this week. Background color is transitioning between green to cream.  Spot picking has begun in this block over the weekend. Maturity is further advanced, and picking is underway in many other Honeycrisp blocks I’ve observed around Peru.  Keep an eye on your blocks every 2-3 days for background color change.

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 this block next week.

The latest recommendations for Honeycrisp from Dr. Chris Watkins

• Do not apply PGRs to high bitter pit risk blocks.
• Follow standard postharvest recommendations for conditioning (50°F for 7 days, followed by storage at 38°F), unless you are following prediction models that suggest you have a high risk of bitter pit.
  • If bitter pit risk is greater than 30%, fruit should be cooled rapidly and stored at 38°F.
  • Only fruit with predicted bitter pit risk of less than 10% should be marketed immediately.
  • Do not market fruit with higher than 10% bitter pit risk within the first month as it continues to develop over time, with negative effects in the marketplace (conditioning this fruit will cause rapid development of bitter pit, and is recommended to allow bitter pit to express before marketing).
  • Where bitter risk is very high (above 50%), consider storing fruit at 33°F without conditioning for short term periods (less than a month, and only fruit in the Hudson Valley). Fruit must be carefully monitored , such as tasting several fruit per block to detect alcoholic off-flavors at weekly intervals.
• 1-MCP use should be carefully considered depending on history (be aware of interactions with preharvest 1-MCP).

Comments: Color is very good in the spot picked fruit I sampled this week. However, background color is still somewhat green, fruit are still very firm, and brix is below the recommended 13-15% range. (Some blocks may struggle to get to 13% this year with the rain we have had in Clinton county.) The apples I tasted still had some tartness to them, which I usually expect NY-1 to be on the sweeter side. I think these blocks could benefit from another week on the trees. I will continue testing these blocks 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 reliable. As with last season, there is the intent to put more fruit in controlled atmosphere (CA), for marketing in 2022. 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.

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 sample, only 1 fruit out of 10 had an SPI above a 2. It appears we’ve still got a few days to go on this variety. We will continue testing this block next week.

Comments: Ambrosia is a new variety for me, but I’m confident this block still has some time to go. For this variety, starch appears to be one of the better indicators of maturity. Target a starch of 2.7 to 3.5 for CA storage, 3.5-5.0 for regular storage, and greater than 5.0 for immediate retail sales. Once sufficient starch clearing has occurred for your market, harvest all fruit meeting minimum color requirements. Maturation goes quick in this variety, so once first harvest has occurred, a second should be made within a week. 

I will continue testing the Macs, Honeycrisp, NY-1, Cortland, and Ambrosia next week.