Determination the Optimal Harvest Date for Some Apple Varieties under Swieda Conditions


Abstract in English

This investigation was carried out in the fields and laboratories of Pome and Grapevine Department, GCSAR/Syria, on some apple varieties i.e. Richared, Mutsu and Tourly Winsap to determine the optimal harvest date and its effect on storability. Fruits were harvested in (16/9, 26/9, 7/10, 17/10 and 30/10) depending on physical and chemical maturity indicators, and stored with the study of changing in quality indicators and weight lost monthly. The results showed that the studied varieties differed in their storability according to harvest date, Richared fruits in 26/9 showed long storage for seven months with weight loss of 4.9%, fruit firmness 6.4 kg/cm2, and 18.7% TSS. While the storability was six months for Mutsu fruits which harvested in 7/10 with weight loss of 4.4%, and fruit firmness 6.1 kg/cm2, and finally, Tourly Winsap fruits which were stored for five months in 7 and 17/10 harvest dates with fruit firmness 5.1 kg/cm2. Moreover, the three varieties were able to storage for three months when harvested in 30/10 with weight loss of 3.3%, 4.4% and 4.5% in Tourly Winsap, Richared and Mutsu respectively, which considered as consuming maturity for these varieties. These results indicated to the various storage periods according to fruits harvest time, and the storability, which assists in regulating offer and demand, and providing markets with fruits for long period, however harvesting at optimal time reducing the total weight loss, in addition to high quality indicators.

References used

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