12. 



Size and color defects account for 46 and 16.9 percent, 

 respectively, of all culls (10.3 and 3.7 percent of total fruit 

 graded). Reducing size and color defects is no easy task. Fol- 

 lowing proper cultural practices is imperative, with particular 

 emphasis on pruning, thinning and proper fertilization. Beyond 

 cultural practices, however, both of these categories are highly 

 dependent on local growing and climatic conditions. They are, 

 therefore, to some degree beyond the grower's control. Less than 

 ideal growing periods during some portion of the 1979 grooving sea- 

 son may have made the number of size and color defects dispro- 

 portionately large in this study. An additional study should be 

 undertaken to determine the "normal" distribution of defects. 



Physical damage (bruise, mechanical and stem puncture) re- 

 present over 26 percent of the culled fruit and 5.8 percent of 

 the total graded. Being a soft fleshed fruit, Mcintosh apples 

 are more susceptible to damage during harvest, handling and pack- 

 ing than most other varieties. For example, a Mcintosh apple 

 dropped three inches onto a flat board surface will develop a 

 bruise of about 7/8" diameter. This defect will downgrade apples 

 to as low as U.S. Utility. 



Physical damage is an area in which cull rates could be re- 

 duced and is thus worthy of the grower's attention. Using extra 

 care when removing fruit from the tree, dumping picking buckets, 

 during handling from the tree to the storage, and packing could 

 reduce these injuries. It could be worthwhile to monitor closely 

 the handling of fruit to determine when and how the damage occurs. 

 One study showed that 17 percent of the apples harvested were 

 severely bruised (bruises larger than 3/4" in diameter) by an 

 experienced picker. Whereas only 4 to 6 percent of the fruits 

 were severely bruised by other experienced pickers in the same 

 harvest crew. Such a level of damage should be unacceptable to 

 the grower. 



Pest and disease are two areas in which fruit growers use a 

 variety of control measures. Defects in these categories account 

 for only 4 percent of the culled fruit and less than 1 percent of 

 all apples handled. These low damage levels are indicative of the 

 importance growers place on controlling insects and disease in the 

 orchard. The low levels are also a measure of the effectiveness 

 of the research and development of preventive technology. 



Economic implications of defects . All damaged or defective fruit 

 represents a loss of revenue to the grower. This loss can be 

 expressed as the difference between the value of the fruit if un- 

 damaged (Fancy or Extra Fancy) and the cull (cider) value. The 

 information, presented in Table 2, was developed using an estimated 

 yield of 600 bushels per acre, an average value of $10.50 per bushel 

 for undamaged fruit and a value of $2.50 per bushel for culls. 



