2020 Apple Maturity Report

2020 Apple Maturity Report

All observations from UMass Orchard, Belchertown, MA unless otherwise noted

Questions, comments: Jon Clements 413-478-7219

Note: target maturity indeces: 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.

(Note that you can click on any apple image to get a close-up and scroll through the pictures)

date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image

10/23

 GoldRush none 3.2 <10 21 13.4 0.82 3-4 Wait until next week to test again but lighter cropped trees getting close enough goldrush102320
10/14 Roxbury Russet none LD=2.8/3.1 NA 26 18.4 0.57 4-6 Touch of watercore, some rots on trees, harvest roxburyrusset101420
10/14 Golden Russet none L/D=2.6/3.1 NA 26 18.9 0.48 4-6.5 Harvest over next week goldenrusset101420
date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image

10/12

 Cameo (Caudle cv.) none 3.4 85 17 13.3 0.65 5 Nice, just right cameo101220
10/6 Delicious some 3 85 15 10.2 NA 3-4-5 Economically ripe, but otherwise meh... delicious100620
10/6 Empire nil 3 65 15 11 NA 6 Going south fast... empire100520
10/6 Crunch-a-bunch none 3.2 10 20 13.2 0.47 3-4-5? Needs some more time on trees still? (MAIA, MLY 4-10) crunchabunch100520
10/5 Macoun significant 3.25 85 15 12.5 NA 3-4 Significant drop, should be harvested ASAP if not already done so... macoun100520
10/5 Liberty nil 3.2 95 16 13.8 NA 5-6 Over the hill, should be picked by now, loses quality real fast liberty100520
10/5 'Gibson' Golden Delicious few 3.2 5 14 13.4 0.81 6-7 Good to go mostly, spot pick golddelicious100520
10/5 Mutsu few 3.6 5 17 14.5 0.80 4-5 Some drop, ready for spot pick mutsu100520
10/5 Suncrisp nil 3.25 20 16 13.7 0.72 4-7 Barely ready for 1st harvest, I would wait a few days, then spot pick; very attractive on trees suncrisp100520
10/5 Evercrisp none 3.4 65 dull 21 14.9 0.85 4-5? Watercore, could be first picked on color evercrisp100520
10/5 Jonagold nil 3.6 75 15 14.1 0.79 7-8 I'd be surprsed if not treated with ReTain, but SI is very high? Needs harvest... jonagold100520
10/5 Crimson Topaz nil 3.25 65 17 13.2 0.52 4-5-6 Nice, need to harvest crimsontopaz100520
10/5 Firecracker nil 2.9 75 17 12.9 0.43 6 Stem-end russet; seed cavity has no space; on the small side, but very attractive on trees; "different" flavor firecracker100520
date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image

9/28

 Macoun some 3.3 65 14 11.5 NA 3-4 Getting darker red color, getting close... :-( macoun092820
9/28 Empire none 2.9 75 18 11.7 NA 4-6 Ready to harvest for storage, and fresh eating very soon empire092820
9/28 Liberty nil 3 90 21 13.7 NA 3-4 Nice, harvest ASAP liberty092820
9/28 Golden Glory nil 3.4 very large 5-20 18 15.1 1.04 4-6 Nice, improved Golden Delicious type, tested as DS-65 goldenglory092820
9/28 'Gibson' Golden Delicious none 3.4 NA 15 13.5 1.18 4-6 Kind of green but getting there, start harvest October 1 goldendelicious092820
9/28 Ambrosia none 3.2 80 19 13.8 0.18 4-6 Pick ASAP! ambrosia092820
9/28 Jonagold nil 3.6 huge 80 16 14.4 0.59 6-7 Need to be harvested ASAP jonagold092820
9/28 Pazazz (DS-3) none 3.4 85 14 13 0.54 4-6 Ready for 1st pick pazazz092820
date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image
9/23 NY 1602 (Firecracker) few 2.9 80 20 13.2 0.30 2-7 Small fruit less ripe; some stem-end cracking of mature fruit; spicy flavor, attractive, recommended initially firecracker092320
9/21 Ambrosia nil 3.2 65 20 13.3 0.27 3-6 Very light crop with advanced maturity, about a week early ambrosia092120
9/21 Modi nil 3.1 95 21 15.5 0.54 3-7 Very nice, needs to be harvested; managed variety not available outside of club modi092120
9/21 Morning Mist Fuji nil 3.2 70 13 13.1 0.92 5-7 Ready for first pick or more, my favorite early Fuji morningmistf¨ji092120
9/21 Crimson Gold nil 3.2 65 19 13.9 0.33 3-5 Very attractive, complex flavor, Adams County Nursery exclusive crimsongold092120
9/21 Jonagold nil 3.5 65 16 13.2 0.64 4-7 Barely ready to spot pick, will be best in a week or so jonagold092120
9/21 Thome Empire none 2.9 95 19 11.8 NA 3.5 Needs another week thomeempire092120
9/21 Cortland nil 3.5 85 14 13 NA 1.5 Entering peak, pick this week, does not starch test good cortland092120
9/21 McIntosh few 3.3 75 14 13.4 NA 5-7 Harvest should wrap-up this week (unless ReTain'd?) mcintosh092120
9/21 Macoun few 3.2 60 16 12.2 NA 3 Could use some more time to develop best variety flavor macoun092120
9/18 Evangeline some 3 5 18 14.6 0.44 5? Most harvested, large fruits ripe, only grown in New Brunswick evangeline091820
date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image
9/14 Lindamac McIntosh few 2.9 80 15 12.1 NA 4-6 Should be harvested ASAP
9/14 Rubymac McIntosh nil 3.2 95 14 12.1 NA 4-5 Still looking good, these apples hold on trees nicely
9/14 Rogers Red McIntosh few 3 65 17 12.5 NA 3.5-5.5 Classic late-season McIntosh, harvest could start rogersmac091420
9/14 Cortland none 3.4 55 17 12.1 NA 1-2 Most likely had ReTain, still on the green side cortland091420
9/14 Honeycrisp few 3.6 70 14 12.7 0.60 5-7 Variable maturity as usual, some rots, bitter pit, kind of a rough looking crop but some apples are very nice, needs to be spot-picked and wrapped up within a week honeycrisp091420
9/14 Buckeye Gala none 3 100 18 12.4 0.45 2-7 1/2 rate ReTain; some stem cracking; needs to be harvested ASAP, very sweet flavor buckeyegala091420
date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image
9/7 Lindamac McIntosh nil 3 75 16 10.8 NA 4 remind me of Redmax McIntosh, could hold off a week for better color and maturity, drop not a problem yet lindamac090720
9/7 Rubymac McIntosh nil 3.1 95 17 11.3 NA 3-5 begin harvest rubymac090720
9/7 Buckeye Gala none 3 95 19 13 0.25 4-6 harvest ASAP buckeyegala090720
9/7 Royal Red Honeycrisp few 3.4 75 16 13.3 0.47 4-8 some bitter pit, start harvest royalredhoneycrisp090420
9/7 Honeycrisp few 3.5 50-75 15.5 13.1 0.46 6-7+ harvest on color honeycrisp090720
9/7 Minneiska (SweeTango) few 3.3 65 15.5 12.9 0.23 4 ready for 1st harvest sweetango090720
9/7 MDD7-50
(MAIA-SM)		 none 3.2 95 20 12.8 0.42 7-8 prone to skin punctures for whatever reason? some watercore; should be harvested ASAP NA
9/4 DS-22 (River Belle) some 3.6 50 15 13.4 0.54 4-7 bitter pit, cracking, stem-end cracking, limb rubs; but tastes good; light to moderate crop riverbelle090420
9/4 NY 1603 (Pink Luster)   3.4 25 21 11.5 0.75 2-3+ very light crop (5 apples), lackluster color, too early pinkluster090420
date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image
8/31 Snappy Mac McIntosh nil 2.8 50-75 18 11 NA 4
(3-5)		 nope, not ready to pick snappymac083120
8/31 Lindamac McIntosh nil 3.0 50-75 16 10.5 NA 2-7 still very green lindamac083120
8/31 Buckeye Gala none 2.9 90 21 12.1 0.56 2-4 not ready, maybe for later in this week? gala083120
8/31 Honeycrisp nil 3.4 50-75 18 14 0.59 4-6 farther along than I thought, ready for 2st spot pick this weej honeycrisp083120
8/31 Ginger Gold none 3.5 0 17 11.1 0.69 2-4 does not starch test well, ready for harvest biggest and brightest yellow apples gingergold083120
8/31 Akane nil 3.1 75-100 17 13.9 0.60 6-8 getting there, quite a bit of watercore, start harvest akane083120
8/31 Silken none 3.2 0 17 11.3 0.40 2-3 probably should wait a week to pick depite low DA, they still look kind of "green" silken083120
8/31 MAIA-SM none 3.2 95 21 13.9 0.68 6 (5-7) nice, but some watercore, should be harvested this week MAIA-SM083120
8/31 DS-22 (River Belle) some 3.9 50-75 15 13.2 0.54 5-8 rough, bitter pit, russet, but flavor is good, need spot pick riverbelle083120
date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image
8/24 Zestar! nil 3.1 50-75 16 13.6 0.52 3-7 pick over next week Zestar! on 08/24/20
8/24 Sansa none 3.1 50 16 12.8 0.34 3-6 pick ASAP, pretty rough looking crop here, variable yield by tree, cork spot? Sansa on 08/24/20
8/24 Gingergold none 3.2 NA 20 10.7 1.17 2 Does not starch test well; economically ripe, but I'd give them another week Ginger Gold on 08/24/20
8/24 Paulared few 3.3 75 13 13 NA 5? poor quality this year, watercore, very variable, we can do much better Paulared on 08/24/20
8/24 Akane none 3 75 17 11.6 1.02 3-7 needs another week for variety flavor, but I knew that! Akane on 08/24/20
8/24 Premier Honeycrisp some 3.4 50-75 15 12.2 0.31 4-6+ needs to be harvested ASAP on color, finish over next week Premier Honeycrisp on 08/24/20
8/24 MAIA-SM (MDD7-50) none 3.2 90 22 12.7 0.97 4-6? some russet (not bad); some watercore; hint of sunburn noted on a few apples; sub-acid, sweet; supposedly can hang on tree for awhile; a real quality late-summer apple MAIA-SM on 08/24/20
date Cultivar pre-harvest drop fruit diameter inches color % red firmness lbs soluble solids DA Index starch index comments Image
8/17 MN 55 some 3.2 80 16 10.6 0.80 4 Starting to drop, uneven maturity, variable crop load by tree, needs ReTain, aka 'Rave,' or 'First Kiss' MN55 on 08/17/20
8/17 Paulared few 3.1 65 16 12.1 NA 3-4 Variable crop load, clustered, not great, some watercore, economically ripe Paulared on 08/17/20
8/17 Gingergold none 3.1 NA 21 11.3 1.02 NA Does not starch test well; need another week Ginger Gold on 08/17/20
8/17 Sansa nil 3.1 25-50 18 13.9 0.58 3-4 Some water core, susceptible to cork spot, start to spot-pick by color Sansa on 08/17/20
8/17 Zestar! nil 3.2 25-50 17 12.5 0.84 3-4 Should wait another week to pick Zestar! on 08/17/20