RIPENING, STORAGE, AND HANDLING OF APPLES 



37 



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temperatures and at points determined by the hardness of the fruit 

 when removed from storage at 32°. 



Section A of Figure 23, giving data for the Ben Davis apple, 

 shows that at 70° and 50° F. softening following removal from 32° 

 was slightly faster than in fruit held continuously at the higher 

 temperatures when in a correspondingly firm condition. At 40°. 

 however, softening of the fruit 

 previously held at 32° progressed 

 more slowly than in fruit con- 

 tinuously held at the higher tem- 

 perature. Section B, showing 

 data on YTinesap apples, indi- 

 cates a very slightly faster soft- 

 ening at 70° and a very slightly 

 slower softening at 50° and 40° 

 in fruit previously held at 32°. 

 The data presented both for Ben 

 Davis and TVmesap. however, 

 show differences too small to be 

 significant. Apparently the aver- 

 age rate of softening in fruit held for a time at 32° and then re- 

 moved to higher temperatures is approximately the same as in fruit 

 in the same condition of ripeness which has been held continuously 

 at the higher temperature. Holding apples for three months at 32° 

 did not result in more rapid ripening of these apples when subse- 

 quently removed to 40°, 50°, or 70°, respectively. Similar results 

 were obtained with other varieties. 



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Fig. 21. — Softening of Virginia-grown 



Grimes Golden apples held for five 

 weeks at 32° F.. then stored at various 

 temperatures, 1923-24 



INFLUENCE OF TIME OF PICKING ON SOFTENING OF APPLES 

 STORED AT VARIOUS TEMPERATURES 



In Part I of this bulletin it was pointed out that there is generally 

 a considerable softening in apples as they approach maturity on the 

 tree. As will be shown later, the rate of softening which occurs 



while the fruit remains 

 on the tree is consid- 

 erably less than that 

 following picking if 

 the fruit is held at pre- 

 vailing orchard tem- 

 peratures. In order to 

 determine whether or 

 not late-picked fruit 

 softened faster when 

 held in storage at va- 

 rious temperatures than 

 fruit removed from the 

 tree in a more immature condition, two pickings of several varieties 

 of apples were made and the rate of softening at different tempera- 

 tures compared. The first picking in most cases was made at approx- 

 imately the time of the commercial harvest for the variety, and the 

 second was made two to four weeks later. With the varieties used 

 in this investigation there was not a marked softening of the fruit 

 on the tree between the time of the first and second pickings. 



29 3? A? 2)9 30 9 /9 



9 /9 29 



3 /3 23 

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/7 27 



Fig. 22. — Softening of Virginia-grown Rome Beauty 

 apples held one month at 32° F., then stored at va- 

 rious temperatures, 1923-24 



