Harvesting apples at the optimal maturity for the target market is vital to ensure a high-quality product, as fruit harvested too early may have poor flavor and color and will be prone to postharvest disorders (e.g., storage scald and bitter pit). However, waiting too long to harvest can result in soft, overripe fruit with limited storage life. This publication details how to collect a representative sample of fruit and provides an overview of some of the most common apple maturity indices used in commercial apple production.

Audience: Grades 9-13