Michigan statewide apple maturity report – September 19, 2024
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EmailKeep abreast of the latest apple maturity testing done in different cultivars around the state to optimize harvest times for storage and fresh picking.
This report provides data to compare apple maturity across the state. This will include information from multiple regions, but if available you should consult a maturity report from your specific region. Regional reports will include more information, including updates on harvest extenders and pest and disease management.
Predicted harvest dates
| 2024 predicted peak harvest dates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full bloom date 2024 | Predicted harvest date 2024 | ||||||
| Station | McIntosh | Jons | Reds | McIntosh | Jons | Reds | Observer |
| SWMREC | 24-Apr | 25-Apr | 27-Apr | 26-Aug | 10-Sep | 17-Sep | Shane |
| Deerfield | 21-Apr | 23-Apr | 26-Apr | 24-Aug | 10-Sep | 16-Sep | Plotkowski |
| Romeo | 30-Apr | 1-May | 1-May | 31-Aug | 18-Sep | 24-Sep | Plotkowski |
| Sparta | 30-Apr | 1-May | 1-May | 1-Sep | 16-Sep | 23-Sep | Brown |
| Hart | 5-May | 7-May | 7-May | 6-Sep | 23-Sep | 29-Sep | Lavely |
| NWMHRS | 11-May | 12-May | 13-May | 11-Sep | 26-Sep | 2-Oct | Rothwell |
Table below auto calculates predicted harvest date comparisons.
| 2024 predicted peak harvest dates compared to normal and last year. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days -/+ normal | Days -/+ last year | |||||
| Station | McIntosh | Jons | Reds | McIntosh | Jons | Reds |
| SWMREC | -15 | -12 | -11 | -9 | -8 | -10 |
| Deerfield | -17 | -11 | -22 | -13 | -16 | -16 |
| Romeo | -13 | -7 | -9 | -11 | -14 | -16 |
| Sparta | -15 | -10 | -14 | -6 | -11 | -10 |
| Hart | -10 | -10 | -11 | -7 | -14 | -13 |
| NWMHRS | -11 | -10 | -15 | -3 | -8 | -7 |
Southeast Michigan does not currently have an independent apple maturity report.
Check out Michigan State University Enviroweather’s growing degree days (GDD) Michigan map. Find your closest weather station, create an account on the website and track GDDs daily.
Maturity tables and summaries
Apple maturity sampling parameters:
- Color % = the visual percentage of red color from 0 to 100; range is of all fruits tested.
- Firmness in pounds pressure = measured with a Güss Fruit Texture Analyzer; range is of all fruits tested.
- Starch: 1 = all starch, 8 = No starch; range is of all fruits tested. Using Cornell Starch Iodine Index Chart.
- Updated MSU starch chart.
- Brix = % sugar measured with Atago PAL-1 Pocket Refractometer
| Suggested firmness and starch index for long-term and shorter-term controlled atmosphere (CA) storage by variety. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | Firmness (lbs)* | Starch Index* | |||
| Short CA | Mid-CA | Long CA | Mature | Over-mature | |
| McIntosh | 14 | 15 | 16 | 5 | 7 |
| Gala | 16 | 17 | 18 | 3 | 6 |
| Honeycrisp | 15 | 16 | 17 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Empire | 14 | 15 | 16 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Early Fuji | 16 | 17 | 18 | 3 | 7 |
| Jonagold | 15 | 16 | 17 | 3.5 | 5.5 |
| Jonathan | 14 | 15 | 16 | 3.5 | 5.5 |
| Golden Delicious | 15 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 6.5 |
| Red Delicious | 16 | 17 | 18 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Idared | 14 | 15 | 16 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Fuji | 16 | 17 | 18 | 3 | 7 |
| Rome | 15 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 5.5 |
| Braeburn | 16 | 17 | 18 | 2.5 | 7 |
Southwest Michigan
Commercial apple harvesting has focused on Red Delicious and Golden Delicious over the past week in central Berrien County. Honeycrisp harvesting is nearly done. Dry conditions have helped to speed picking by harvest crews. Very little internal watercore is showing up in some varieties. A new article by Michigan State University (MSU) researcher Randy Beaudry and others gives an in-depth look at the effects of climate change on apple ripening.
Commonly grown cultivars such as Red Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Granny Smith and Braeburn can have problems with watercore. Even some of our newer cultivars like Evercrisp (a Honeycrisp by Fuji cross) have susceptibility to watercore. Advanced maturity (ripe fruit) is a required feature for the development of watercore, so factors such as hot days plus cool nights that advance fruit maturity can promote watercore development.
| Region | Cultivar | Collection Date | Red Color (%) | Firmness (lbs) | Starch (1-8) | Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest | IdaRed | 16-Sep | 71.1 | 16.3 | 2.7 | 11.6 |
| Southwest | Rome | 16-Sep | 69.6 | 20.5 | 3 | 12.1 |
| Southwest | Golden Delicious | 16-Sep | 26 | 17.1 | 5.1 | 13.2 |
| Southwest | Jonagold | 16-Sep | 68 | 16.9 | 5.5 | 14.1 |
| Southwest | Red Delicious | 16-Sep | 98.3 | 17.3 | 3.3 | 11.3 |
| Southwest | Fuji (main season) | 16-Sep | 60.4 | 18.8 | 3 | 12.1 |
| Southwest | Evercrisp | 16-Sep | 66 | 23.9 | 1.9 | 13.2 |
Southeast Michigan
Growers in warmer parts of the region (Lenawee and Monroe counties) are through the first picks of Jonaprince and Jonagold as well as Golden Delicious. Further north in the Romeo area Red McIntosh harvest is finishing while Golden Delicious, Empire and Rome harvest is underway. Cortland is expected to be ready in the next week. See our predicted harvest dates for southeast Michigan.
Northwest Michigan
Sometimes it seems like we are a broken record, but again this week as in the past two weeks, all apple varieties are maturing quickly with these weather conditions. When we look at the overview of all the starch removal readings from all varieties this week, it looks like all varieties are maturing at a similar time. In addition to all varieties maturing at the same time, the fruit is maturing quickly. There have been jumps in starch removal readings, and some of the fruit we are testing are already in the 7 range. Growers need to be moving through harvest as quickly as they are able, and again, should be making the most of the plant growth regulator products that they have available to help manage this fast-moving harvest window.
| Apple maturity in northwest Michigan for apples collected on 9/17/24 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | Color % | Firmness lbs. | Starch | Brix % |
| Honeycrisp | 83.8 | 17.2 | 6.3 | 12.3 |
| Gala | 82 | 21.8 | 4.2 | 12.1 |
| McIntosh | 55 | 17.9 | 4.4 | 12.8 |
| Jonagold | 57.5 | 18.9 | 5.8 | 13 |
West central Michigan
In the west central region, harvest of September Wonder Fuji, Jonagold and Empire is wrapping up. Mutsu, Idared (Photo 1) and Golden Delicious were tested for maturity this week. Dry and sunny days have allowed growers to continue harvesting through varieties as they mature. Some Mutsu had water core this week.
| Region | Variety | Collection Date | Fruit Weight (g) | Red Color (%) | Background color (5-1) | Firmness (lbs) | Starch (1-8) | Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Central | IdaRed | 16-Sep | 197 | 75 | 3.7 | 18.4 | 1.9 | 11.4 |
| West Central | Ambrosia | 16-Sep | 220 | 56 | 3.2 | 18.2 | 2.2 | 11.6 |
| West Central | Rome | 16-Sep | 192 | 95 | 3.3 | 21.8 | 2.4 | 10.4 |
| West Central | Mutsu | 16-Sep | 328 | 31 | 4.7 | 18.8 | 2.2 | 12.3 |
| West Central | Golden Delicious | 16-Sep | 190 | 28 | 3.7 | 16.9 | 2.9 | 13 |
| West Central | Red Delicious | 16-Sep | 165 | 97 | 2.2 | 17.7 | 1.7 | 10.3 |
Grand Rapids region
The Grand Rapids area is moving towards the end of apple harvest. Only a few varieties are still on the trees. Evercrisp and Fuji harvest is beginning in the area. Red Delicious and Golden Delicious are still being harvested.
| Region | Variety | Collection Date | Weight (g) | Diameter (mm) | Red Color (%) | Background (5-1 rating) | Ethylene (%) | Firmness (lb) | Starch (1-8 rating) | Soluble solids (°Brix) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | Ambrosia | 9/16/2024 | 180 | 73 | 67 | 1.85 | 75 | 18.7 | 3 | 13.4 |
| Grand Rapids | Fuji | 9/16/2024 | 187 | 74 | 72 | 2.6 | 23 | 20 | 2.2 | 11.8 |
| Grand Rapids | Golden Delicious | 9/16/2024 | 205 | 76 | 11 | 2.6 | 10 | 17 | 5.1 | 13.1 |
| Grand Rapids | Jonagold | 9/16/2024 | 273 | 85 | 81 | 1.4 | 50 | 16.5 | 6.1 | 12.2 |
| Grand Rapids | Red Delicious | 9/16/2024 | 173 | 70 | 93 | 1 | 20 | 18.1 | 2.6 | 10.4 |
Seasonal temperatures, fruit development and storability
Field temperatures affect fruit condition and storability. Look back at seasonal temperatures across Michigan and what it means for Gala fruit development. For more information, see the Michigan State University Extension article, Seasonal temperatures, fruit development and storability: How does 2024 compare to the previous 17 years? by Randolph Beaudry, Erin Lauwers and Bill Shane.
Upcoming events
The Great Lakes Expo
The Great Lakes Expo, held annually in early December at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the largest show of its kind in the country. It attracts a diverse audience of apple growers from the Great Lakes region. This year's Apple Sections take place on Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Sweet and Hard Cider: Tuesday Morning
|
Kevin Halfmann |
MDARD Cider Mill Inspection Report |
|
Paula Englin |
MCA Block Grant Report |
|
Shanthanu Krishna Kumar |
Managing Polyphenols with Crop Load; Polyphenol nutrition and cider sales |
|
Chris Swaggerty |
Hill Bros. How I Did It |
Apple 1: Tuesday Afternoon
|
Todd Einhorn |
Rapid, early-season growth of Honeycrisp apples predisposes fruit to bitter pit development |
|
Kari Peter |
Optimizing management to limit postharvest apple rots while in storage |
|
Randy Beaudry |
Environmental Factors Affecting Apple Quality and Storability |
|
Jim Schaefer, Eric Roossinck, and Jamie Kober |
Post Harvest Industry Panel |
Apple 2: Wednesday afternoon
|
Julianna Wilson |
What's Bugging Apples? All the Tiny Things! |
|
Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris |
From the bottom to the top: Orchard floor management to conserve natural enemies in orchards |
|
Meghan Milbrath |
Protecting pollinators while controlling pests in apples |
|
Grzegorz Krawczyk |
Developing challenges with management of codling moth |
Cider Contest: Wednesday afternoon
The cider contest will judge the best ciders produced by Michigan cider makers (only Michigan cider producers are eligible). Here are some important details for the contest.
To enter, cider producers must submit two 1-gallon cider jugs at the Exhibitor Registration desk in the Grand Gallery concourse in DeVos Place on Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or on Wednesday, Dec. 11, from 9 a.m. to noon. No entries will be accepted after noon on Wednesday.
Cider samples must be thawed by 1 p.m. on Wednesday (this is the responsibility of each cider producer, not the contest coordinator).
Cider contest judging will be on Wednesday afternoon. Judging will be held in one of the main-level Grand Gallery meeting rooms and will be open for viewing starting at 1:30 p.m.
The top five winners will be notified prior to the EXPO Social so they can be in attendance. Winners will be announced at the EXPO Social on Wednesday evening. First place receives a plaque and a traveling trophy. Second and third places receive a plaque.
Don't miss this valuable opportunity to connect with industry experts, gain valuable knowledge and explore the latest advancements in the apple industry.
We look forward to seeing you there!
To get a better sense of the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo, check out this video.
Related articles
- The 2024 Michigan apple crop forecast, as given at the USApple Outlook meeting
- Predicted apple harvest dates for 2024 from MSU Extension.
- More information on harvest management tools and timings from MSU Extension.
- Post harvest treatments to extend apple life.
- Guidelines from MSU Extension to check for apple maturity in your own orchard, including specific pressure and starch recommendations by variety.
- Predicting apple maturity and starch chart from Cornell University.
