Michigan statewide apple maturity report – October 2, 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 | |
Northwest Michigan’s report was reduced and contained in the FruitNet email this week.
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 is wrapping up in southwest Michigan with less than one-third of the Fuji, Braeburn and Evercrisp orchards remaining to be picked. Relatively warm conditions in 2024 pushed ripening earlier than normal.
Internal watercore continues to increase in late harvested Evercrisp. Watercore does not increase in fruit once harvested and may disappear in storage if not severe. Apples severely affected may develop browning and unpleasant fermentation flavors. The solution is to avoid late harvesting of watercore-prone varieties in years such as 2024 when the disorder is prevalent.
| Region | Cultivar | Collection Date | Red Color (%) | Firmness (lbs) | Starch (1-8) | Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
| Southwest | Rome | 30-Sep | 87.6 | 19.2 | 4.3 | 10.8 |
| Southwest | Braeburn | 30-Sep | 47.5 | 20.3 | 4 | 11.1 |
| Southwest | Fuji (main season) | 30-Sep | 63 | 18.4 | 4.6 | 13.9 |
| Southwest | Evercrisp | 30-Sep | 73 | 22.3 | 3.2 | 15.2 |
Southeast Michigan
Growers in warmer parts of the region (Lenawee and Monroe counties) are finishing up second picks of ‘Ambrosia’ and expect to hold off on ‘Fuji’ and ‘Evercrisp’ until next week. See our predicted harvest dates for southeast Michigan.
Northwest Michigan
Most growers are working to harvest most varieties at this time. With the early season and many varieties maturing at a similar time, growers have been pressed to get the fruit off the trees. They have been working hard to move through harvest in an efficient manner. Many growers used Retain/Harvista to help manage harvest this season in our region. Many growers estimate that they will be done with harvest in a week with the regular season varieties.
| Apple maturity in northwest Michigan for apples collected on 10/2/24 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | Color % | Firmness lbs. | Starch | Brix % |
| Evercrisp | 65 | 22.2 | 2.9 | 13.5 |
West central Michigan
In the west central region, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Ambrosia, Mutsu and Idared have been harvested at some locations. Some growers will be harvesting Mutsu and Northern Spy this week. Aztec Fuji, EverCrisp and Pink Lady will be ready for harvest over the next one to two weeks.
| Region | Variety | Collection Date | Fruit Weight (g) | Red Color (%) | Background color (5-1) | Firmness (lbs) | Starch (1-8) | Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
| West Central | IdaRed | 30-Sep | 211 | 80 | 2.5 | 15.1 | 4.4 | 12.6 |
| West Central | EverCrisp | 30-Sep | 237 | 58 | 3.16 | 21.4 | 2.9 | 15.1 |
| West Central | Aztec Fuji | 30-Sep | 210 | 76.2 | 2.9 | 16.5 | 3.7 | 13 |
| West Central | Mutsu | 30-Sep | 392 | 14 | 3.3 | 16.9 | 3.3 | 12.4 |
| West Central | Pink Lady | 30-Sep | 191 | 43 | 3.1 | 20.6 | 1.9 | 13 |
Grand Rapids region
Main season Fuji, Evercrisp and Red Delicious apples are currently mature. Braeburn and Pink Lady apples are up next. Some of these varieties coming into maturity are even exceeding the early predicted harvest dates by Michigan State University (MSU) this year. Frequent proactive sampling will be needed to stay on top of harvest.
| 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 | 9/30/2024 | 201 | 25 | 67 | 1.3 | 90 | 17.8 | 4.7 | 14.5 | |
| Grand Rapids | Fuji | 9/30/2024 | 201 | 76 | 75 | 1.8 | 60 | 18.9 | 3.7 | 13.4 | |
| Grand Rapids | Red Delicious | 9/30/2024 | 192 | 71 | 91 | 1 | 80 | 18.5 | 4 | 12.9 | |
| Grand Rapids | Evercrisp | 9/30/2024 | 211 | 76 | 68 | 2.5 | 75% | 24 | 2.5 | 14.6 |
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
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Kevin Halfmann |
MDARD Cider Mill Inspection Report |
|
Paula Englin |
MCA Block Grant Report |
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Shanthanu Krishna Kumar |
Managing Polyphenols with Crop Load; Polyphenol nutrition and cider sales |
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Chris Swaggerty |
Hill Bros. How I Did It |
Apple 1: Tuesday Afternoon
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Todd Einhorn |
Rapid, early-season growth of Honeycrisp apples predisposes fruit to bitter pit development |
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Kari Peter |
Optimizing management to limit postharvest apple rots while in storage |
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Randy Beaudry |
Environmental Factors Affecting Apple Quality and Storability |
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Jim Schaefer, Eric Roossinck, and Jamie Kober |
Post Harvest Industry Panel |
Apple 2: Wednesday afternoon
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Julianna Wilson |
What's Bugging Apples? All the Tiny Things! |
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Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris |
From the bottom to the top: Orchard floor management to conserve natural enemies in orchards |
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Meghan Milbrath |
Protecting pollinators while controlling pests in apples |
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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.