NEW ENGLAND FRUIT MEETINGS AND TRADE SHOW, 1979 



The New England Fruit Meetings and Trade Show, as in the 



past, will be held at the New Hampshire Highway Hotel, Goncord, 



New Hampshire, The meetings are scheduled for January 10 and 11. 



**************** 



HARVESTING AND STORING APPLES: A TIME FOR OBSERVING DETAILS 



W. J. Bramlage 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



The apple harvest season is a hectic time for a fruit grower. 

 His attention is often focused on his harvest labor, and perhaps 

 on his harvest sales operation. And, unfortunately, something 

 may have to "give". Don't let it be your storage operation! Short- 

 cuts or mistakes in September can mean disaster in April. If a 

 grower is to market quality fruit in the Spring, he must pay atten- 

 tion to details in the Fall. Some comments follow on things to 

 be watched . 



VJeather . Hot 

 detrimental . 

 mature apples 

 coloring, esp 

 to harvesting 

 least 331 red 

 effective sea 

 period, the h 

 room. Unless 

 these hot app 

 into storage 



weather shortly before and during harvest is generally 

 It ripens fruit rapidly, leading to harvest of over- 

 with shorter storage life. It results in poorer 



ecially if night temperatures are high, and again leads 

 riper apples because it is necessary to wait for at 

 color. It increases susceptibility to scald, making 



Id treatments crucial. If it's hot during the harvest 



ot apples increase the heat load going into a storage 

 ample refrigeration is available, it is best to allow 



les to cool overnight in the orchard, and bring them 



early the next morning. 



If the weather is cool during harvest, the prospects for high 

 quality fruit in the Spring are much better. Nevertheless, there 

 is need to get apples off the tree and into storage as quickly as 

 possible. The riper the fruit at harvest, the shorter is its 

 storage life. 



With 

 about 28° 

 are fully 

 ("bruises 

 to about 

 damage oc 

 thaw. If 

 the apple 

 softening 

 age. If 

 of time; 



late varieties, freezing may occur. Apples freeze at 

 F. If they freeze, do not pick or handle them until they 



thawed . Physical contact will produce visible damage 

 ") when they thaw. Unless the fruit temperature falls 

 22°F, apples will survive freezing; at about 22°F,'' lethal 

 curs and they show browning and breakdown soon after they 



browning and breakdown do not show up soon after thawing, 

 s have survived the freezing. However, any freezing causes 



and probably leads to faster deterioriation during stor- 

 apples freeze, do not attempt to store them for long periods 

 dispose of them as quickly as possible. 



