Current best Honeycrisp Management Practices in
Washington State
Dr. Ines Hanrahan, Project Manager, WTFRC
The Plan
1. Current situation
2. Horticultural management
3. Maturity assessment
4. Storage considerations
5. Outlook/Trends
CURRENT SITUATION
2.7%
13.4%
4.9% 4.7%
7.4%
10.5% 10.9%
15.2%14.3%
19.5%
13.0%
15.0%
18.3% 18.5%19.5%
21.7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013Est
2014Est
Pe
rce
nt
of
tre
es
pla
nte
d
Washington State Honeycrisp apple planting trends
Since 2011 Honeycrisp is second most planted
variety, after Gala.
Source: Tree Top Survey; USDA
Strains etc.
Royal Red Firestorm CameronSelect
DAS 10‘Premier’
No strain
Redselection
Premier HC grown in WA 2016; early maturing strain found in PA
Honeycrisp: job security for postharvest physiologists
45.5
52
60.563.5
59.9
67.2
25.7
31.934.7
46.9
42.4
52
13.4
17.8
20.7
30.6 29.6
35
4.67.3
9.2 9.2
21.223.0
0.52.6
3.8
7.6
14.8 14.6
0.1 0.1 0.32.5
8.77.3
0.1 0.3
3.01.6
- -1.4
0.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
%
Honeycrisp apple storage holding: 2008 – 2013
October November December January February March April May
Source: WA Growers Clearinghouse
July 8, 2015: Wrays
• Price: $2.99/lb
• Quality: Bruises, limb rub, stem punctures, inconsistent color
• Source: from Chile
• Size: Large
Flavor rating: 2
3 tasters
2015
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 June-10 Jun-25 Jul-8 Jul-22
Pe
rce
nt
of
Off
/Bla
nd
/Ap
ple
/No
Ap
ple
s
Dates visited
Off Bland Apple No Apples
Honeycrisp Taste in Yakima Supermarkets
Taste of fruit (8 stores total) for Honeycrisp purchased in Yakima area
supermarkets between May 2012 - 2016.
RosBREED: Breeding better Pomefruitwww.rosbreed.org
What drives repeat purchases?
• $0.12/lb more for a one-unit increase in SSC percentage
– 13.7 is an optimum range
– $1,362 loss per acre for each unit decease
– Most likely achieved with 7 frt./cm2 TCSA
• Optimum size range is 64-72
– Loss of $5,332/acre if 5% shift to smaller fruit (48-88 vs. 100-163)
HORTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT
Fruit position within the canopy
Source: Whiting, 2011
0102030405060708090
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Per
cen
t b
itte
rpit
Weeks after harvest
Orchard 11st pick 2nd pick 3rd pick
0102030405060708090
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Per
cen
t so
ft s
cald
Weeks after harvest
Orchard 21st pick 2nd pick 3rd pick
0102030405060708090
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Per
cen
t so
ft s
cald
Weeks after harvest
Orchard 21st pick 2nd pick 3rd pick
0102030405060708090
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Per
cen
t b
itte
rpit
Weeks after harvest
Orchard 11st pick 2nd pick 3rd pick
33F storage
50F/36F storage
Fruit position and harvest sequence
High
Medium
Low
2nd wire from top
2nd wire from the ground
6’10” / 2.1m
4’ / 1.20m
Orchard environment: light
2015
3rd pick
Week 14
Week 6
Week 4
Fruit appearance in storage
Fruit position and harvest sequence
High
Medium
Low
2nd wire from top
2nd wire from the ground
6’10” / 2.1m
4’ / 1.20m1st pick
2nd pick
3rd pick
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
LowMedium
High
00
0
00
8
50
41.5
8.5
Perc
ent
soft
sca
ld a
fter
3 m
on
ths
@3
3F
2013
0
1
2
3
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14Weeks in storage
NET
0
1
2
3
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Weeks in storage
UTC
Lo
wH
igh
Me
diu
m
Fru
it p
ositio
n w
ithin
the c
anopy
Lo
wH
igh
Me
diu
m
Fru
it p
ositio
n w
ithin
th
e c
an
op
y
05
10152025303540
Orchard 1 RA Orchard 1 RA+1-MCP
Orchard 2 RA Orchard 2 RA+1-MCPB
itte
rpit
pro
gre
ssio
n %
(%
)
NET UTC
05
10152025303540
Orchard 1 RA Orchard 1 RA+1-MCP
Orchard 2 RA Orchard 2 RA+1-MCP
Bit
terp
it p
rogr
ess
ion
(%
)
NET UTC
05
10152025303540
Orchard 1 RA Orchard 1 RA+1-MCP
Orchard 2 RA Orchard 2 RA+1-MCP
Bit
terp
it p
rogr
ess
ion
(%
)
NET UTC
1st pick
2nd pick
3rd pick
Downward Angle
Apple on east facing side (Control)Max. measured temperatures:
70° F Day: 99° F (at 3 pm)
90° F Day: 112° F (at 1 pm)
95° F Day: 111° F (at 11 am)
N
S
EW
Example hot apple
Sunburn Development Orchard A
9395
92
88
98
94
83
74
76
9
12
2
6
17
25
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
Net Control Net Control Net Control Net Control
7/10/2015 7/15/2015 7/30/2015 8/13/2015
Clean Yellow Tan Black Bleach
Blush
Sunburn Development Orchard B
8790
8480
9996
93
86
96 16
19
24
6
9
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
Net Control Net Control Net Control Net Control
7/2/2015 7/15/2015 7/31/2015 8/13/2015
Clean Yellow Tan Black Bleach
Thinning7/29/15
Sunburn
3-4 weeks Harvest 6 Months CA Storage
CLE
AN
SUN
BU
RN
ED
0% 6% 0%
100% 44%
44%
22%38%
MATURITY ASSESSMENT
Harvest management
Optimize pack out
Potential new tools
Starch chart
Source: WTFRC www.treefruitresearch.com
Crop Load: Example Honeycrisp
Medium High Low
Honeycrisp is the best apple to
demonstrate the consequences of
over cropping.
Cropload
WTFRC, 2010
Cropload: Low = 2-3 frt./TCSA; medium = 5-6 frt./TCSA ; high = 8-9 frt./TCSA
1st Pick 2nd Pick 3rd Pick
Ways to measure Maturity
• Organoleptic methods
Bruce Allen, Chiawana Orchards, 2013
Tasting in WTFRC laboratory in Wenatchee
Cropload effects and softscald
Harvest 1 Harvest 2 Harvest 3
Cropload Storage 4 8 4 8 4 8
Low RA 6 0 6 11 6 50
CA 6 0 0 0 0 43
MCP/CA 0 0 6 0 31 31
MCP/RA 0 0 11 0 19 na
Medium RA 0 0 0 6 56 56
CA 0 6 6 6 29 53
MCP/CA 0 0 0 20 31 47
MCP/RA 0 0 6 0 56 67
High RA 0 na 0 0 50 44
CA 0 0 0 0 72 61
MCP/CA na na 0 na 72 50
MCP/RA na na 0 0 76 50
Softscald development after 4 and 8 months of storage. Gleed, WA (2010).
Titratable acidity
Single tube testSingle sample titratable test Multi sample titratable test
www.resultsnowtests.biz
0.450.36 0.54 0.63 0.71 0.800.40 0.49 0.58 0.67 0.75
If tube color is between two charts colors, read second row
Titratable Acidity
http://www.goodfruit.com/new-tools-to-determine-fruit-quality-parameters/
DA meter in the orchard environment
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
12
:00
…
2:0
0…
4:0
0…
6:0
0…
8:0
0…
10
:00
…
12
:00
…
2:0
0…
4:0
0…
6:0
0…
8:0
0…
10
:00
…
Tem
pe
ratu
re (F
)
Dry Matter Content
Side Product
WASHINGTON CA PROTOCOL
STORAGE CONSIDERATIONS
Current research
Disorder management
Flavor retention
‘Honeycrisp’ long-term CA
• Breaking ground color
• Starch 4.5-5.0 (1-6)
• > 0.5% TA
• 7 days at 50 oF
• SmartFresh
• 37-39 oF final storage temperature
• O2 2-3%
• CO2 0.5-1%Source: Mattheis and Hanrahan, 2013
June 3, 2015
• CA stored
• 1-MCP
• Penbotec
• Cull <20%
– 0.5% decay
– Bitterpit 15% or less
– No softscald
• Size 80-125
Low colored fruit
‘Honeycrisp’ long-term CA
• Breaking ground color • Starch 4.5-5.0 (1-6)• > 0.5% TA
• 7 days at 50 oF• SmartFresh• 37-39 oF final storage temp.• O2 2-3%• CO2 0.5-1%
Source: Mattheis and Hanrahan, 2013
HumidityShorter timeHigh CO2
Faster CA
Significant Findings
• CA during conditioning and 1-MCP reduce bitter pit incidence
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
after storage
CA
Rapid CA
Air
CA2
Rapid CA2
Air2
A
A
AB
BC
C
BC
Control 1-MCP
% b
itte
r pit
OUTLOOK
Trends in Washington
Photo: TJ Mullinex
Thank you!
Acknowledgements
• James Mattheis• David Rudell, Rachel Leisso• Manoella Mendoza, Kyle Tynan• Janie Countryman• Suzanne Niemann, Nadia Valverdi, Jacqui Gordon,Lauren Brandt
• Grower collaborators• WTFRC team• WTFRC student interns