DELAYED PICKING AND STORAGE AND ITS EFFECT ON THE OCCURRENCE OF WATER CORE AMD 



INTERNAL BREAKDOWN IN STARRING DELICIOUS APPLES 



For the control of internal breakdown which may follow water core in apples, 

 it has been suggested that better keeping varieties should be held a week or two 

 at ordinary temperatures or until the water core has largely disappeared, before 

 placing fruit in storage. Last fall Dr. F. W. Southwick and the writer decided 

 to test the influence of delayed storage periods of 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours on 

 Starking Delicious having considerable water core. The apples were held at pack- 

 ing room temperature (70-80° F) immediately after harvest for the time intervals 

 previously mentioned before placing the fruits in 32 F storage. It was felt that 

 longer periods of delayed storage would seriously affect the keeping period of the 

 Starking Delicious apples. 



Fruit samples were obtained from the selected trees on three dates - October 

 10th, 20th and 30th and to prevent preharvest drop, 20 ppm of 2,4,5-TP was applied 

 on October 9, 1958. 



Table I - Water Core In Starlcing Delicious At Harvest in 1958 

 University Orchard, Amherst, Mass. 



A random sample of fruit was immediately examined for water core. The amount 

 of water core present was classified as slight, medium and heavy. It can be noted 

 in Table I that the amount and severity of water core increased with each delay in 

 picking date. A delay of ten days in harvest resulted in a one pound decrease in 

 fruit flesh firmness, also. 



On February 6, 1959, the fruits were removed from storage and were immediately 

 examined for the presence of water core. It can be noted in Table II that the de- 

 layed storage periods of 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours had no consistent influence on the 

 disappearance of water core. The occurrence of internal breakdown was too limited 

 for any conclusions to be drawn. 



Table H - The Per Cent of Starking Delicious Having Water Core When Removed from 



Storage. 



