In cooperation with the Henderson County Master Pomology Program, we initiated an effort to monitor apple fruit maturity in commercial orchards in Henderson County, NC. The goal of this program is to provide timely updates regarding fruit maturity of several apple cultivars in the region. Data will be presented weekly to commercial apple growers via web-based updates to partly aid in harvest management decisions. Please note that the data presented is limited to the specific orchard block that we used for sampling. Do not assume that fruit at your location are at the same stage of maturity. To be clear, there is no substitute for regular monitoring of fruit quality parameters at your own operation.
Weekly Update (10.08.2025)
MAIA-1 (Evercrisp®) apples were harvested this past week and thus at an appropriate maturity stage for long term market (Table 1).
Cripps Pink(Maslin) is an early maturing strain of Cripps Pink that ripens 2-3 weeks early than standard strains. Early adopters of this strain have reported that it can be unstable and prone to reversion. The first harvest in this orchard in Edneyville occurred last week due to variation in maturity. Fruit evaluated this week exhibited more uniform fruit quality parameters and appear to be nearly on target for harvest for long term storage (Table 2, Figure 1).
Cripps Pink(original strain) was evaluated for the first time. Starch pattern index averaged 3.9, fruit firmness at 19.3 lbs, soluble solids at 13.2% and marketable blush at 2.03% with notable variability in the maturity of sampled fruit (Table 3, Figure 2).
If of interest, please see the following posts for more detailed information on PGRs to manage fruit maturity and harvest maturity timing. Specifically:- Using PGRs to Manage Apple Preharvest Drop, Fruit Maturity, and Harvest Timing
- Apple Harvest Management Considerations: Special Focus on Gala
- Fruit Harvest - Determining Apple Fruit Maturity and Optimal Harvest Date
