Healthy Fruit, Vol. 27, No. 21, October 15, 2019
Jon Clements, Author (unless otherwise noted) and Editor
CONTENTS
Horticulture (apple maturity report)
UPCOMING MEETINGS
REGISTRATION is now open for the 2019 New England Vegetable & Fruit Conference and Trade Show. The event will take place December 10-12, 2019 in Manchester NH.
This program was planned collaboratively by growers and extension professionals from throughout the region. It features over 30 educational sessions over 3 days, covering vegetable, berry, and tree fruit crops and various special topics. Farmer-to-farmer sessions bring speakers and farmers together for informal discussion, and our extensive trade show has over 120 exhibitors.
Get more details, including the full program: https://newenglandvfc.org/
Register now! https://newenglandvfc.org/registration
We hope to see you there!
THE WAY I SEE IT
Jon Clements
This will be an abbreviated and final Healthy Fruit. By now, 90% of your apples should have been harvested. We could not have asked for a much better harvest season weather-wise. Brix is real nice on remaining apples to be harvested. Post-harvest chores that should be at the top of your list include sanitation (apple leaf flail mowing), and herbicide application (2,4-D plus a residual herbicide). AND, don’t forget to register for the New England Vegetable & Fruit Conference (NEVFC), see Upcoming meetings. There are five tree fruit sessions of interest at the NEVFC, including two apple sessions, one stone fruit session, one (hard) cider session, and a fruit technology session. There are small fruit/berry sessions too. Many pesticide credits will be available. Well worth the cost of admission, but be sure to pre-register using this link. (I am also attaching a Conference at a Glance Finally, the UMass fruit team is busy putting together an IPM report/season wrap-up for an upcoming meeting. We will get you that as soon as it is done. Meanwhile, see you next year...
HORTICULTURE
Jon Clements
Apple maturity report
All observations from UMass Orchard, Belchertown, MA unless otherwise noted. Target maturity numbers: red color, >50%; firmness, >14 lbs.; soluble solids, >12; DA, 0.60 to 0.40 for Honeycrisp, 0.65 for Gala, 1.00 for Golden Delicious, 1.15 to 1.00 for Red Delicious (higher DA = more "green"); starch index, 4-6. Apple maturity reports for the whole season here.
Date | Variety | Drop | Diameter | Color | Firmness | Brix | Starch Index | DA Meter | Comments | Picture |
10/15 | Crimson Topaz | few | 3.2 | 85 | 17 | 15.5 | 5-7 | 0.35 | Not for everyone; available from ACNursery; scab-resistant, but has displayed some other disease problems; plant on best sites | |
10/15 | Ambrosia | none | 2.9 | 85 | 14 | 14.7 | 6-8 | 0.13 | Beautiful apple, unique sweet flavor; over-mature at this time, should have been picked a week ago; fruit scab near calyx | |
10/15 | Mutsu | some | 3.5 | 0 | 16 | 15.3 | 3-5, maybe 6 | 1.04 | Very nice crop, large apples; pick now | |
10/15 | Suncrisp (NJ55) | few | 3 | 5-10 | 18 | 18.7 | 4-8 | 0.22 | Most quite ripe; needs good thinning, then the apple is outstanding in appearance and flavor (Cox Orange Pippin parent), can be a bit touchy to grow | |
10/15 | Golden Russet | nil | 3.2 | 0 | 26 | 17.7 | 3-5, maybe 6 | 0.80 | Classic cider apple, wait a week to pick | |
10/15 | Ashmead’s Kernel | some | 3 | 0 | 15 | 17.6 | 6-7 | 0.69 | Cider apple, very nice crop, easy to harvest, do not eat well but good in cider | NA |
10/16 | ‘Brak’ Fuji | nil | 3.3 | 65 | 15 | 13.9 | 4-7 | 1.52 | Red color is a bit “muddy;” needs at least another week on the tree, a classic late-season Fuji; marketed as KikuTM Fuji (if you have permission) | |
10/16 | Evercrisp | none | 3.6 | 50 | 19 | 17 | 4-5, maybe 6 | 0.88 | Killer apple in terms of flavor, not so much appearance; waiting for some better red color; want to extend the PYO season a few more weeks? I got the apple for you... | |
10/16 | Cameo (Caudle cv.) | none | 3.4 | 85 | 17 | 15.6 | 4-5, maybe 6 | 1.07 | An apple no one can dislike... | |
10/16 | Delicious | some | 3.3 | 90 | 15 | 13.3 | 3-6 | 1.61 | What can I say, it’s a Delicious? | |
10/16 | Caville Blanc | nil | 3.6 | 35 | 22 | 16.2 | 3-4 | 0.81 | Julia Child’s favorite pie apple; purported to be a good cider apple; some curculio damage noted; could use another week on trees? | |
10/16 | Cripps Pink (Maslin cv.) | few | 3.2 | 95 | 17 | 14.8 | 2-7 | 0.64 | Seems to have a range of maturity, being harvested, really nice looking apple | |
10/16 | Jonagold | some | 3.6 | 75 | 14 | 14.7 | 8 | 0.66 | Slightly greasy, over-mature, should have been picked last week, but still edible, among the best fresh eating apples |
FACEBOOK ME
USEFUL LINKS
27th Annual March Message (2019) to Tree Fruit Growers (Google Doc)
UMass Fruit Advisor: http://umassfruit.com
Scaffolds Fruit Journal: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/scafolds/
Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA): http://newa.cornell.edu
Follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/jmcextman) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/jmcextman)
This is the last Healthy Fruit published for 2019. Thank you for subscribing and thanks to our sponsors! Expect to receive an occasional e-mail from the UMass fruit team until Spring 2020 when officially Healthy Fruit resumes. In the meantime, feel free to contact any of the UMass Fruit Team if you have any fruit-related production questions.
