East Michigan apple maturity report – Oct. 2, 2019
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EmailMany apple growers are finding a short gap in apple varieties that are ready to harvest. The harvest window for Empire and Golden Delicious is just beginning to open.
General apple harvest comments
Apple harvest is now over the halfway mark for most growers. Many growers are up to date with harvest and are searching for varieties that are ready to begin picking. This is resulting in an unusual gap in harvest operations with nothing for harvest crews to pick.
In testing done this week, Empire and Golden Delicious are ready to begin harvest, with some Cortland blocks ready to harvest as well. Most Jonathans have been picked and Jonagolds are over-mature. There is a long list of varieties that need more time to mature, including Red Delicious, CandyCrisp, Ida Red, Northern Spy and Crispin. I sampled the next batch of varieties to get an early read on their maturity, including Rome, Autumn Gala, EverCrisp, Cameo and Fuji. Rome and Autumn Gala were the only two surprises on this list. The rest are not close to being ready to begin harvest.
Up until this past weekend, most growers have had good harvest weather. However, with rain over the weekend and more yesterday and overnight, many orchards will need a few days for soils to dry before harvest can pick up again.
Cider makers are still looking for more varieties to round out their cider. Even though the weather this past weekend was almost a complete washout for most farm markets, demand for cider continues to grow as we move through fall.
The fifth apple harvest report for the 2019 apple harvest season follows with more details on the 14 varieties tested this week, four of which are new varieties this week. Our predicated apple harvest dates for east Michigan are three to four days later than the normal dates. Here is the link for the 2019 Apple Predicted Harvest Dates article that was emailed to area growers as well as being published on our Michigan State University Extension Fruit & Nuts website in August.
|
Apple maturity in east Michigan for apples harvested Sept. 30 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Variety |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Empire |
30 (0-60) |
89 (77-95) |
19.6 (16.3-21.0) |
3.8 (3.1-5.0) |
13.7 |
|
Jonagold |
10 (0-20) |
36 (29-43) |
17.5 (17.4-17.5) |
5.3 (4.9-5.6) |
14.5 |
|
Cortland |
10 (0-20) |
83 (77-89) |
18.7 (17.6-19.8) |
3.0 (1.8-4.1) |
13.6 |
|
Golden Delicious |
0 (0-0) |
9 (4-13) |
18.3 (16.5-19.7) |
2.8 (1.0-4.3) |
15.0 |
|
Red Delicious |
45 (0-100) |
100 (100-100) |
18.9 (16.3-19.9) |
2.5 (2.0-3.0) |
12.8 |
|
CandyCrisp |
0 (0-0) |
8 (0-10) |
20.2 (16.0-23.5) |
2.0 (2.0-2.0) |
13.7 |
|
Idared |
25 (0-40) |
84 (75-91) |
19.0 (17.9-20.4) |
1.9 (1.6-2.2) |
13.3 |
|
Northern Spy |
35 (20-60) |
30 (3-46) |
21.6 (19.3-23.9) |
1.9 (1.4-2.1) |
12.7 |
|
Crispin |
0 (0-0) |
11 (2-22) |
21.5 (20.3-23.7) |
1.9 (1.0-2.6) |
13.4 |
|
Rome |
0 (0-0) |
82 (60-100) |
23.9 (21.5-26.0) |
3.1 (3.0-4.0) |
13.7 |
|
Autumn Gala |
100 (100-100) |
69 (50-90) |
23.6 (22.0-25.5) |
2.7 (1.0-6.0) |
14.0 |
|
EverCrisp |
20 (0-40) |
70 (54-85) |
22.8 (20.4-23.1) |
1.9 (1.5-2.3) |
14.5 |
|
Cameo |
10 (0-20) |
94 (92-95) |
20.0 (18.9-21.1) |
1.9 (1.8-2.5) |
13.8 |
|
Fiji |
7 (0-20) |
69 (43-85) |
22.2 (20.8-23.3) |
2.1 (1.8-2.5) |
13.9 |
Individual variety results
Empire
Empire was sampled for the third week of the season and have been very slow to mature. Based on this week’s data, Empire are now ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for Empire was Sept. 24, or last week. Thirty percent the of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 parts per million (ppm) and the pressure is still very firm at 19.6 pounds. The color has improved from an average of 75% last week to 89% this week. The average starch index is up from 2.6 last week to 3.8 this week.
|
Empire maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 16 |
0 (0-0) |
73 (66-82) |
20.1 (17.6-22.1) |
2.3 (1.8-3.1) |
12.6 |
|
Sept. 23 |
30 (0-80) |
75 (60-92) |
18.9 (17.9-19.9) |
2.6 (1.9-3.0) |
13.2 |
|
Sept. 30 |
30 (0-60) |
89 (77-95) |
19.6 (16.3-21.0) |
3.8 (3.1-5.0) |
13.7 |
Jonagold
Jonagold was sampled for the third week of the season. In last week’s report I shared that Jonagold were ready to begin harvest at that time. Some growers did a good first picking of the well colored fruit over the last week. Other growers were waiting to harvest the remaining fruit to see if color would improve. Most farms had a very short crop of Jonagold this season, so most growers picked their entire Jonagold in the matter of a few hours.
The predicted harvest date for Jonagold was Sept. 27, and like Jonathan, I thought they would be mature on this date or even a few days earlier. The average starch index is up from 4.3 last week to 5.3 this week. We usually look for a starch index for Jonagold to be around 3.5. The remaining Jonagold blocks are approaching to point of being over mature. None of the fruit I picked on Monday had a greasy feel to them.
|
Jonagold maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 16 |
40 (0-100) |
48 (29-78) |
19.5 (17.3-21.5) |
3.0 (2.4-3.5) |
14.4 |
|
Sept. 23 |
53 (20-80) |
50 (31-78) |
17.9 (17.3-18.6) |
4.3 (3.7-5.4) |
14.6 |
|
Sept. 30 |
10 (0-20) |
36 (29-43) |
17.5 (17.4-17.5) |
5.3 (4.9-5.6) |
14.5 |
Cortland
Cortland was sampled for the third week of the season. Cortland was another variety, like Empire, that seemed to be slow to mature this season. The harvest window for Cortland is just opening as they are ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for Cortland was Sept. 29. The average starch index has moved from 1.4 last week to 3.0 this week.
|
Cortland maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 16 |
0 (0-0) |
73 (63-90) |
17.1 (16.1-18.2) |
1.2 (1.0-1.5 |
13.3 Sept. 23 |
|
Sept. 23 |
13 (0-40) |
70 (53-87) |
17.4 (16.9-17.9) |
1.4 (1.0-1.7) |
13.7 |
|
Sept. 30 |
10 (0-20) |
83 (77-89) |
18.7 (17.6-19.8) |
3.0 (1.8-4.1) |
13.6 |
Golden Delicious
Golden Delicious was sampled for the third week of the season, with Smoothee being the most common strain tested. In last week’s report I said that a few Golden sites and strains were ready to begin harvest, but most blocks needed another week to fully mature and to eat better. Many Golden blocks were color picked this past week. This week, most Golden blocks are now ready to be color picked. However, much of the interior fruit is still green and will need another week to mature.
The predicted harvest date for Golden Delicious is Oct. 3, or tomorrow. The pressure remains firm at 18.3 pounds. The average starch index dropped a bit from 3.0 last week to 2.8 this week. I think this drop is a reflection that the more mature fruit had been picked in the last week and thus the remaining fruit was less mature. The blush on Goldens is much better this week.
|
Golden Delicious maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 16 |
7 (0-20) |
11 (6-14) |
18.1 (17.4-18.7) |
2.0 (1.0-2.6) |
13.4 |
|
Sept. 23 |
5 (0-20) |
4 (0-15) |
18.1 (16.7-20.4) |
3.0 (1.0-5.0) |
14.0 |
|
Sept. 30 |
0 (0-0) |
9 (4-13) |
18.3 (16.5-19.7) |
2.8 (1.0-4.3) |
15.0 |
Red Delicious
Red Delicious was sampled for the second week of the season. Most of the Reds tested this week were Redchief strain, with a few Scarlet Spur added in as well. Based on this week’s data, Red Delicious are not ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for Red Delicious is Oct. 5, but I don’t think it will be ready by this date.
This week, 45% of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is 18.9 pounds. The average starch index is up from 2.1 last week to 2.5 this week. We usually look for a starch index for Red Delicious to be around 2.5 to 3.0 for fruit that is intended for long-term storage, but for fresh sales I look for the starch index to be in the 3.5 to 4.0 range. Red Delicious still eat really green.
|
Red Delicious maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 23 |
10 (0-40) |
93 (70-100) |
18.6 (17.2-19.4) |
2.1 (1.9-2.4) |
11.8 |
|
Sept. 30 |
45 (0-100) |
100 (100-100) |
18.9 (16.3-19.9) |
2.5 (2.0-3.0) |
12.8 |
CandyCrisp
CandyCrisp was sampled for the second week of the season. This is not a widely planted apple variety in east Michigan. Based on this week’s data, CandyCrisp are still not ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for CandyCrisp is Oct. 10. Based on this week’s data, I believe it will be mature close to this date.
None of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is still firm at 20.2 pounds. The average starch index is unchanged this week at 2.0. While the apple had a brix or sugar content of 13.7%, it still eats very green.
|
CandyCrisp maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 23 |
0 (0-0) |
7 (0-10) |
18.9 (16.5-22.0) |
2.0 (1.0-3.0) |
13.7 |
|
Sept. 30 |
0 (0-0) |
8 (0-10) |
20.2 (16.0-23.5) |
2.0 (2.0-2.0) |
13.7 |
Ida Red
Ida Red was sampled for the second week of the season, with the number of blocks tested increased this week. Ida Red are not ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for Ida Red is Oct. 11, and I do not believe it will be mature by this date.
This week, 25% of the fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is firm at 19.0 pounds. The average starch index is only 1.9 this week, up slightly from 1.6 last week. We usually look for a starch index for Ida Red to be around 3.5 for long-term storage fruit.
|
Ida Red maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 23 |
0 (0-40) |
56 (48-65) |
18.8 (17.9-20.1) |
1.6 (1.5-1.9) |
13.2 |
|
Sept. 30 |
25 (0-40) |
84 (75-91) |
19.0 (17.9-20.4) |
1.9 (1.6-2.2) |
13.3 |
Northern Spy
Northern Spy was sampled for the second week of the season, with more blocks tested this week. Based on this weeks’ worth of data, Northern Spy are not ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for Northern Spy is Oct. 12, and I believe it will be mature by or close to this date. Thirty-five percent of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is 21.62 pounds. The average starch index is only 1.9 this week.
|
Northern Spy maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 23 |
40 (0-80) |
31 (30-32) |
22.2 (20.3-24.1) |
1.4 (1.0-1.8) |
12.7 |
|
Sept. 30 |
35 (20-60) |
30 (3-46) |
21.6 (19.3-23.9) |
1.9 (1.4-2.1) |
12.7 |
Crispin
Crispin or Mutsu was sampled for the second week of the season. Based on this week’s data, Crispin are not ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for Crispin is Oct. 13, and it should be mature close to this date. None of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is 21.5 pounds. The average starch index is only 1.9 this week. I am starting to see a slight amount of blister spot in Crispin in the last week.
|
Crispin maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 23 |
20 (0-40) |
3 (1-5) |
21.0 (20.3-21.6) |
2.1 (2.0-2.1) |
12.5 |
|
Sept. 30 |
0 (0-0) |
11 (2-22) |
21.5 (20.3-23.7) |
1.9 (1.0-2.6) |
13.4 |
Rome
Rome was sampled for the first week of the season to get an early read on its maturity, with a limited number of blocks tested. Based on one week’s worth of data, Rome is surprisingly close to begin harvest but is not quite ready. They still eat just a little green. The predicted harvest date for Rome is Oct. 15, and I believe it will be mature well before this date. None of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is still very firm at 23.9 pounds. The average starch index is 3.1 this week. I would like to get a broader sample of Rome for next week’s testing to get a fuller picture on its maturity.
|
Rome maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 30 |
0 (0-0) |
82 (60-100) |
23.9 (21.5-26.0) |
3.1 (3.0-4.0) |
13.7 |
Autumn Gala
Autumn Gala was sampled for the first week of the season to get an early read on its maturity, with a limited number of blocks tested. Based on one week’s worth of data, Autumn Gala is not quite ready, but I was surprised to see the starch index already at 2.7. They still eat just a little green and are very firm at 23.6 pounds.
The predicted harvest date for Autumn Gala is Oct. 21 on my chart, and I believe it will be mature well before this date. Some references state that Autumn Gala matures close to Ida Red, while others put it to be mature 10 days later. One hundred percent of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm. As I stated about Rome, I would like to get a broader sample of Autumn Gala for next week’s testing to get a fuller picture on its maturity.
|
Autumn Gala maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 30 |
100 (100-100) |
69 (50-90) |
23.6 (22.0-25.5) |
2.7 (1.0-6.0) |
14.0 |
EverCrisp
EverCrisp was sampled for the first week of the season to get an early read on its maturity. Based on one week’s worth of data, EverCrisp are not ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for EverCrisp is Oct. 23, however this variety is so new that I don’t have a long track record on predicting its maturity. Twenty percent of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is still very firm at 22.8 pounds. The average starch index is 1.9 this week.
|
EverCrisp maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 30 |
20 (0-40) |
70 (54-85) |
22.8 (20.4-23.1) |
1.9 (1.5-2.3) |
14.5 |
Cameo
Cameo was sampled for the first week of the season to get an early read on its maturity. Based on one week’s worth of data, Cameo are not ready to begin harvest. I don’t have Cameo on the predicted harvest date list in the table that follows, but I believe it matures between Rome and Fuji, or around Oct. 20. I believe it will be mature before this date. Ten percent of fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is 20.0 pounds. The average starch index is 1.9 this week.
|
Cameo maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 30 |
10 (0-20) |
94 (92-95) |
20.0 (18.9-21.1) |
1.9 (1.8-2.5) |
13.8 |
Fuji
Fuji was sampled for the second week of the season. The number of Fuji blocks tested this week has also expanded. Fuji are not ready to begin harvest. The predicted harvest date for Fuji is Oct. 23, but I believe it will be mature well ahead of this date. Seven percent of the fruit tested had internal ethylene levels over 0.2 ppm and the pressure is still very firm at 22.2 pounds. The average starch index is 2.1 this week.
|
Fuji maturity sampling for the harvest season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sample date |
% Fruits with ethylene over 0.2 ppm (range) |
Color % (range) |
Firmness lbs. (range) |
Starch (range) |
Brix % |
|
Sept. 23 |
0 (0-0) |
29 (20-40) |
20.1 (17.5-23.0) |
1.9 (1.0-2.0) |
13.1 |
|
Sept. 30 |
7 (0-20) |
69 (43-85) |
22.2 (20.8-23.3) |
2.1 (1.8-2.5) |
13.9 |
Predicted peak fresh market apple harvest dates for east Michigan
Each year we publish predicted harvest dates for many locations across the state. These predicted harvest dates are based on a long-established formula using the bloom date and temperatures for 30 days post-bloom.
The following table has predicted apple harvest dates for east Michigan. It has been expanded to include more apple varieties and lists only one date for the entire east Michigan region, which is hard to do! You can adjust these predicted harvest dates based on your actual bloom dates or on the typical harvest dates at your farm.
These dates are an estimate and will be affected by the apple strain, rootstock, crop load, fertility, soil type, and other factors including weather this season. Keep a close eye on these weekly Apple Harvest Updates for possible revisions of these dates.
Normal and 2019 peak harvest dates for apple varieties for East Michigan | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Variety |
Normal date |
2019 predicted date |
|
Paula Red |
8/22 |
8/25 |
|
Zestar |
8/22 |
8/22 |
|
Gingergold |
8/23 |
9/26 |
|
Gala |
9/8 |
9/11 |
|
McIntosh |
9/13 |
9/16 |
|
Early Fiji |
9/14 |
9/17 |
|
Honeycrisp |
9/16 |
9/20 |
|
Empire |
9/20 |
9/24 |
|
Jonathan |
9/23 |
9/27 |
|
Jonagold |
9/23 |
9/27 |
|
Cortland |
9/25 |
9/29 |
|
Golden Delicious |
9/29 |
10/3 |
|
Red Delicious |
10/1 |
10/5 |
|
CandyCrisp |
10/5 |
10/10 |
|
Idared |
10/6 |
10/11 |
|
Northern Spy |
10/8 |
10/12 |
|
Crispin (Mutsu) |
10/9 |
10/13 |
|
Rome |
10/11 |
10/15 |
|
Autumn Gala |
10/17 |
10/21 |
|
EverCrisp |
10/19 |
10/23 |
|
Fuji |
10/22 |
10/26 |
|
Braeburn |
10/23 |
10/28 |
|
Winesap |
10/26 |
10/30 |
|
Goldrush |
10/31 |
11/4 |
*Firmness is measured with a mechanical 11-millimeter wide probe inserted into the pared flesh of a fruit to a distance of 8 millimeters. Starch index is measured on equatorial cross section of an apple stained with iodine solution and rated using the Cornell University starch-iodine index chart for apples on a 1-8 scale (Predicting Harvest Date Window for Apples by Blanpied and Silsbey, Cornell Extension Bulletin 221.)
