Abstract
To test the effect of harvest date on storage ability of 'Golden Delicious' apple in the fruiting area of Girona (Spain), fruit from eleven commercial orchards were harvested during 1996 at two-week intervals from August 28 to September 25 and cold stored for seven months. Quality indices (soluble solids content, flesh firmness, acidity and starch index) were determined weekly for one month before the first harvest date and upon removal from storage. Simultaneously, fruit from all harvest dates and orchards were wounded, inoculated with Penicillium expansum and kept five weeks in cold storage to evaluate fruit susceptibility with increasing maturity. After removal from cold storage, superficial scald and moisture loss incidence were higher on fruit picked earlier. Bitter pit occurrence was maximal on fruit harvested on September 12. The percentage of marketable size fruit and disease severity increased with harvest date. Fruit quality was not influenced by harvest date but was affected by orchard characteristics. Starch index was significantly correlated to acidity, soluble solids and firmness, suggesting that it could be used to predict fruit quality after cold storage.
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