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SO^ffi PROBLEMS THAT CAN REDUCE STORAGEABILITY OF APPLES 



William J. Bramlage 

 Department o£ Plant and Soil Sciences 



At harvest time, a fruit grower not only must gather the 

 crop from the orchard, but he must also make dozens of decisions 

 that will ultimately affect the quality of the product that reaches 

 consumers. To produce a quality product, these decisions must be 

 made with an understanding of the principles of fruit behavior and 

 handling. Last year I reviewed what we think are the most import- 

 ant principles as well as our basic recommendations for apple 

 storage ( Fruit Notes 43, September/October issue 1978: pp 1-5). 

 We urge you to take a few minutes and re-read this review of the 

 "basics", because we believe that the growers who stick as close 

 as possible to these "basics" are the ones who year-in and year-out 

 have the fewest storage problems. 



Keeping these basics in mind, I will develop here some of 

 the information and ideas about fruit handling that have come to 

 my attention in recent months. These considerations may help you 

 avoid storage problems. 



Bruising is an important though often neglected factor in 

 the behavior of fruit after harvest. Beside disfiguring the fruit, 

 bruising also causes it to produce large amounts of ethylene, the 

 hormone gas that causes ripening to begin. Dr. L. M. Massey, Jr., 

 of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, has 

 demonstrated the importance of bruising. If apples are picked be- 

 fore ripening has begun, they are most suitable for long-term stor- 

 age. But, if these apples have been extensively bruised during 

 picking or handling, their potential can be shortened substantially 

 because ripening will begin almost immediately. Even when apples 

 are picked after ripening has begun. Dr. Massey found that extensive 

 bruising increased their rates of softening and sugar loss during 

 storage. He also found what we too have observed: bruising does 

 not lead directly to breakdown or other apple disorders during 

 storage. Careful harvesting and handling will improve fruit stor- 

 ageabil ity . 



Bruising is also a major cause of fruit loss after packing. 

 We reported last year ( Fruit Notes 43, September/October issue, 1978 

 pp 5-7) some results from tests by Dr. George Mattus in Virginia 

 on the amounts of bruising that result from dropping of cartons, 

 and of the influence of different kinds of packaging on this bruis- 

 ing. Dr. Mattus has continued these tests and has generally con- 

 firmed last year's findings. Packages differ significantly in the 

 amount of bruising caused by drops, but the basic message is: Don' t 

 drop cartons of apples, not even a little bit! 



