either to amount of starch present or to the surface area of the starch grain} 
(3) degradation and synthesis of starch may be independent and simultaneously 
occurring processes, 
Lott (43) showed with Transparent and Duchess apples that as maturity 
progressed, there was an initial increase in starch content followed by a 
decrease which was most pronounced in the week preceding optimum maturity. 
Lott (44) also pointed out that there was seldom if ever an amount of 
starch more than about one-tenth as great as the amount of sugars in apples. 
He said that this fact points to the fallacy of the statement that apples can 
be picked when still immature and that starch will change to sugar during 
ripening; there is not enough starch present to materially increase sugar con- 
tent. 
Martin (51) observed that starch conversion proceeded faster in larger 
fruit of the Cox, Jonathan, and Sturmer apple varieties than in Cleopatra 
variety where larger fruits were characterized by lower starch loss. He pointed 
out that it was probable in Cox, Jonathan, and Sturmer that the larger fruit 
were growing faster than material could be transported, and the earlier starch 
conversion was due to utilization of reserves to meet growth needs. In Cleo- 
patra, supplies were apparently more than adequate to keep pace with expansion. 
Martin (51) offered a simple maturity pattern for the Cox apple variety. 
He found that the amount of starch conversion was based on the proportion of 
unstained tissue in an equatorial section of apple stained with iodine-potassium 
iodine solution. 
Continuing his work on between tree variation due to cropping fac‘ors, 
Martin (52) found that up to a late stage of maturity, light crop fruit of the 
Cox and Cleopatra varieties had larger diameter, higher acidity, earlier color 
change, and later starch conversion than heavy crop fruit. 
Poapst, Phillips, and Ward (63), working with McIntosh variety, deter- 
mined that the starch levels in fruit varied appreciably from season to season 
and postulated that maturity may be related to anatomical location of the re- 
treating starch granules rather than actual amount. 
Ward (88) compared two methods of measuring the rate of disappearance 
of starch in estimating stage of maturity and correct time for harvesting: 
(1) the comparison of the starch-iodine pattern on cut McIntosh apples with 
standard color charts and (2) the measure of starch-iodine color in perchloric 
acid extract. He showed a straight line relationship by perchloric acid proce- 
dure with starch disappearance at intervals through August and September for 3 
years, It was not possible to determine any specific content of starch that 
would indicate optimum maturity. 
Carter and Neubert (6) described a rapid method of starch determination 
using perchloric acid-iodine-starch reaction for Delicious apples. Their method 
involved fractional transmittance measurement at 620 nm of the starch-iodine 
reaction using an Evelyn colorimeter, 
Treccani (81) concluded that none of the various indices of maturity can 
be considered absolute for Stayman Winesap although the iodine-potassium-iodine 
test for starch was most constant and most indicative. 
Poapst (62) revealed that starch changes in McIntosh and natural drop 
were closely related in the dimension of time. He observed that complete dis- 
solution of starch preceded drop when prevailing temperatures averaged 49° F 
or less, Drop preceded starch loss at the rate of 1 day per every degree dif- 
ference in average temperature over 49° F, Conditions of mean drop occurred at 
a starch index as low as 6 during warm seasons and as high as 7.2 during cool 
seasons. He said that for each season there is a fixed concentration of starch 
at which MeIntosh apples drop. 
LL 
