Re: Apple-Crop: Apple Maturity Testing in Michigan

[Jon Clements]

Mark et al, here in Massachusetts our observation is that stressed  
trees are indeed advanced in maturity, particularly as indicated by  
the starch iodine test. Apparently hot, dry weather prior to harvest  
-- which we had in August -- will result in the starch iodine test  
not being as good an indicator of maturity as we would like. McIntosh  
are almost 5's on the SI scale, whereas stressed Macs are more like  
6's. I ran the Blanpied-Silsby model a while back and predicted we  
would be at SI of 5-6 by the 20th of September (and the end of  
picking for CA storage) and for trees in good condition we are right  
on track for that. I find the model somewhat useful, although  
realistically it rarely differs by more than a few days from year-to- 
year.


Otherwise, the MA apple crop looks very nice right now although hail  
has been troublesome in a few MA orchards and probably too many New  
England orchards. We are coming off what has been a real good stone  
fruit year -- global warming anyone? (Ask me again after the upcoming  
winter!)


Your (and Bill's!) apple maturity reports are real nice. Mine are a  
little more shotgun, but if anyone is interested, they are all here:


http://www.umass.edu/fruitadvisor/clements/articles/2007apple/index.html

Also, I may have upgraded the shotgun for a loose cannon when I do my  
blog, but check it out:


http://jmcextman.blogspot.com

Hope everyone is having a good harvest.

Jon


Jon Clements
Extension Tree Fruit Specialist
UMass Cold Spring Orchard
393 Sabin Street
Belchertown, MA  01007
VOICE 413.478.7219
FAX 413.323.0382
IM mrhoneycrisp
Skype Name mrhoneycrisp


On Sep 14, 2007, at 3:54 PM, Mark Longstroth wrote:

In Michigan, We use the bloom date and temperatures following bloom  
model to

predict apple harvest.
We also test apples for soluble solids and starch conversion to  
predict

storability and help with marketing.
You can access this information at
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/fruit/ripeapple.htm

Our season is about 10 days to two weeks early but some varieties are
harvesting out of the normal order.
During our weekly conference call we were wondering why, and if the  
warm

summer affected some varieties more than others.

Note New Address and Phone Number!
-
Mark Longstroth
SW Michigan District Fruit Educator
Van Buren County MSU Extension
219 Paw Paw Street, Suite 201
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Bus (269) 657-8213 x3
Fax (269) 657-6678
Email - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Check Out My Webpages
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/disthort.htm
-



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---


The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard 
 and managed by Win Cowgill and Jon 
Clements <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.


Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent 
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for 
the content.

Apple-Crop: Apple Maturity Testing in Michigan

[Mark Longstroth]

In Michigan, We use the bloom date and temperatures following bloom model to
predict apple harvest.
We also test apples for soluble solids and starch conversion to predict
storability and help with marketing.
You can access this information at
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/fruit/ripeapple.htm

Our season is about 10 days to two weeks early but some varieties are
harvesting out of the normal order.
During our weekly conference call we were wondering why, and if the warm
summer affected some varieties more than others.

Note New Address and Phone Number!
-
Mark Longstroth
SW Michigan District Fruit Educator
Van Buren County MSU Extension
219 Paw Paw Street, Suite 201
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Bus (269) 657-8213 x3
Fax (269) 657-6678
Email - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Check Out My Webpages
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/disthort.htm
-



---


The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard 
 and managed by Win Cowgill and Jon 
Clements <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.

Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent 
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for 
the content.

RE: Apple-Crop: Apple Harvest

[Jourdain Jean-Marc]

Hi Debbie

Many thanks for information, I had a direct email from Ken Silsby who could not 
post directly to "apple crop" group ( why not?).

I downloaded his and G. Blanpied paper on Cornell Bulletin 221. Nice summary of 
a large work on all aspects of harvest date.

 

Here after the email of K. Silsby with his approval.

 

Jean Marc Jourdain

 

- Forwarded by Ken Silsby/NAR/RohmHaas on 09/13/2007 02:37 PM - 

 

The possibility of using seasonal weather conditions to predict apple harvest 
dates was studied by several researchers in North America during the 1960's and 
early 1970's.  The most methodical approach to the project was conducted by Dr 
G D Blanpied at Cornell University in an attempt to predict the best harvest 
dates for McIntosh.   

He collected samples in sequence from labeled trees in commercial blocks from 
various growing regions across New York State.  Samples were collected twice 
weekly for a total of 7 to 9 total harvest dates.  Taste panels were used 
following storage to judge the occurrence of the best harvest periods.  Once 
the best harvest periods were identified, bloom dates and weather records were 
used to develop a formula for predicting harvest in future seasons.   

His findings were that the two variables affecting harvest date were full bloom 
date and the mean temperature during the 30 days following full bloom.  Mid 
summer temperatures had little effect on harvest dates.  The formulas were 
slightly different for the different growing regions in NY, implying that 
prediction models should be tailored to each region. 

Much has changed in grower cultural practices and storage techniques since Dr 
Blanpied conducted his research and the need to update this work is long 
overdue.  However, his formulas are still in use today in New York.  Both he 
and I would emphasize the need for pre-harvest maturity testing to confirm 
predictions made by any apple maturity model. 

Dave Blanpied described the project in Cornell Info Bull 49, "Harvesting Fresh 
Market Apples in New York", 1973 (out of print).  The formulas were repeated in 
Cornell Cooperative Extension Information Bulletin 221, "Predicting Harvest 
Date Windows for Apples", 1992 (still available). 

I had the good fortune of working with Dr Blanpied until his retirement in 
1992.  Hope this helps.

 

 

  _  

De : Deborah I. Breth [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Envoyé : vendredi 14 septembre 2007 12:56
À : Apple-Crop
Objet : RE: Apple-Crop: Apple Harvest

 

Cornell Has a bulletin - 221- called Predicting Harvest Date Windows for 
Apples, by G.D. Blanpied and Kenneth J. Silsby.  They used 30 days after full 
bloom and a complicated formula that is adjusted for New York fruit regions.  
It is not an exact prediction but gets you in the ballpark to start testing 
maturity indices like starch, pressures, brix, and ethylene to more closely 
schedule harvest.  They must have some publications (although not referenced 
that served as background research for this Bulletin.  Try this url  
http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/3299/2/Predicting+Harvest+Date+Window+for+Apples.pdf

or find it by going through www.fruit.cornell.edu 
 , Tree Fruit, Harvest and Post harvest.  It is 
loaded as  pdf file.

Debbie Breth - Cornell Cooperative Extension, Lake Ontario Fruit Program


At 10:53 AM 9/13/2007, you wrote:



Hi from South West of France
I could have written almost exactly the same words for our situation. Amazing 
precocity here (William's Bartlett harvested end of July... never seen).
 
Some more points :
For what concerns colour, we have this year very beautiful reds, strains of 
Gala wonderful, red delicious 4/4. This is different from Ireland. We think 
this is linked to cool nights we had all August.
Since we are aware of this amazing maturity date, we have been trying to rely 
the last years and this years harvest dates with temperature summaries, with 
different zeroes, different ceilings, beginning at flowering and ending at 
different dates. To achieve a good forecast of harvest date there is only one 
thing that allow the correlation to work, this is to stop sums at June 15. More 
or less stop the sums at end of cell multiplication. We do not found any 
publication on this, may be some one in apple-crop have a track to a paper on 
this?
Sanitary status is ok on fungus and pests, but we have got the bigger attack of 
fireblight since 10 years. I heard the same echoes from other part of European 
continental part.
 
Crop is very good on apple and below average on pears as shown with figures 
coming from the Lituania Prognosfruit
 
But I will give you the secret reason of all these climate desorders... the 
guilty is the 13 moons year 2007  ;-))
 
Jean marc Jourdain
Ctifl
Jourdain(at;-)Ctifl.fr
 

  _  

De : Con.Traas [ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]  ] 
Envoyé : jeudi 13 septembre 2007 10:23
À : Apple-Crop
Objet : Apple-Crop: Ap

RE: Apple-Crop: Apple Harvest

[Deborah I. Breth]

Cornell Has a bulletin - 221- called Predicting Harvest Date Windows for 
Apples, by G.D. Blanpied and Kenneth J. Silsby.  They used 30 days after 
full bloom and a complicated formula that is adjusted for New York fruit 
regions.  It is not an exact prediction but gets you in the ballpark to 
start testing maturity indices like starch, pressures, brix, and ethylene 
to more closely schedule harvest.  They must have some publications 
(although not referenced that served as background research for this 
Bulletin.  Try this 
url 
http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/3299/2/Predicting+Harvest+Date+Window+for+Apples.pdf


or find it by going through www.fruit.cornell.edu, Tree Fruit, Harvest and 
Post harvest.  It is loaded as  pdf file.


Debbie Breth - Cornell Cooperative Extension, Lake Ontario Fruit Program


At 10:53 AM 9/13/2007, you wrote:

Hi from South West of France
I could have written almost exactly the same words for our situation. 
Amazing precocity here (William’s Bartlett harvested end of July… never seen).


Some more points :
For what concerns colour, we have this year very beautiful reds, strains 
of Gala wonderful, red delicious 4/4. This is different from Ireland. We 
think this is linked to cool nights we had all August.
Since we are aware of this amazing maturity date, we have been trying to 
rely the last years and this years harvest dates with temperature 
summaries, with different zeroes, different ceilings, beginning at 
flowering and ending at different dates. To achieve a good forecast of 
harvest date there is only one thing that allow the correlation to work, 
this is to stop sums at June 15. More or less stop the sums at end of cell 
multiplication. We do not found any publication on this, may be some one 
in apple-crop have a track to a paper on this?
Sanitary status is ok on fungus and pests, but we have got the bigger 
attack of fireblight since 10 years. I heard the same echoes from other 
part of European continental part.


Crop is very good on apple and below average on pears as shown with 
figures coming from the Lituania Prognosfruit


But I will give you the secret reason of all these climate desorders… the 
guilty is the 13 moons year 2007….  ;-))


Jean marc Jourdain
Ctifl
Jourdain(at;-)Ctifl.fr


--
De : Con.Traas [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Envoyé : jeudi 13 septembre 2007 10:23
À : Apple-Crop
Objet : Apple-Crop: Apple Harvest

Hello apple people,
The apple harvest here in Ireland is about two weeks ahead of schedule, or 
perhaps I should say that apple maturity is two weeks ahead of normal, 
because not everyone is picking as soon as perhaps they should.
The spring was early and warm here this year, which got the fruit off to a 
good start, but then we endured the wettest summer in twenty years, which 
by our normal standards, that can be fairly wet, was really miserable. The 
trees did not suffer too badly however, even though fruits grew less than 
they normally would.
About three weeks ago the weather dried out, and most of the picking of 
early varieties has proceeded in lovely warm weather, which has also 
helped the fruit size catch up to somewhere close to normal, except where 
crops are too heavy, and there is quite a bit of area where thinning was 
less than sufficient.
In general it looks like crops will be heavy, and the fruits that have 
ripened so far have tasted well, with plenty of sugars. On the downside, 
colour is not great yet, and this could become problematic after another 
while, unless things start changing soon.
I would imagine quite a few growers will pick over there red varieties two 
or three times to get the best coloured apples into store as soon as they 
are red enough, so hopefully the latter picked fruits will not be too ripe 
by then.
There have been no particular issues with pests or diseases during the 
season, which is nice for a change. Insect pressure was low thanks to the 
continuous rain, and yet, diseases were not too bad, as it was dry early 
on when the disease organisms needed it wet. Fireblight, which is not 
endemic in Ireland made an appearance on some ornamental trees in Dublin, 
but these were cut down and destroyed, so hopefully it has not spread any 
further.
A national trial of Jazz apples seems to demonstrate that they ripen too 
late for growing in Ireland, but two new early varieties, Zari and Zonga 
certainly have a nice taste.
Prices for apples seem stable, and demand is good, so we are hoping for a 
better year than some of the bad ones in the past decade.

Best wishes,
Con Traas
The Apple Farm
Cahir


Deborah I. 
Breth12690 State 
Route 31, Albion, NY  14411
Area Extension Educator - Team 
Leader   Phone:  585-798-4265
Lake Ontario Fruit Program - Cornell Cooperative 
Extension  Fax:  585-798-5191
Specialist in Integrated Pest Management of Fruit 
Crops Mobile:  585-747-6039