Good Fruit Grower

December 2015

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58 DECEMBER 2015 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com WA 38 has more variation in appearance than in eat- ing quality, he added, and is not a fully red apple, even though many of the fruit are dark red. Some apples don't turn red over the whole surface and a small percentage (perhaps 10 to 15 percent) will have a lighter, stripy color all over. Those paler apples won't color any more after they reach 3 to 4 on the starch index scale of 1 to 6. "I would absolutely consider this variety to be a bi-colored variety," Auvil said. As well as having the potential to be harvested effi- ciently, WA 38 should be a relatively trouble-free apple to store and pack. If fruit is picked at the right maturity, it can be held until Valentine's Day without CA, Hanrahan said. It can be held in CA storage, in the standard atmosphere of 2 percent oxygen and 1 percent carbon dioxide, for at least six months without the need for 1-MCP and for at least 12 months with 1-MCP. "You don't have to do anything special in storage," she said. Another positive trait is that the apples are consistent in size. A fruit size analysis last year showed that 90 per- cent of the fruit fell within a four-size range. However, there are some concerns. The last couple of years, a green discoloration has been noticed on the shoulder of some of the fruit. In most instances, it colors over during the two weeks before harvest, but at a couple of orchards it's been a concern at harvest. Hanrahan said scientists are doing mineral analysis to try to pinpoint the cause. This could be related to heat and water stress during exceptionally hot weather. "We're looking into it to make sure it's not becoming a bigger problem," she said. The variety is prone to some splitting, particularly if there's a light crop and the fruit is large, Auvil warned. "If the weather breaks—let's say we go from a 70°F high to 50°F with rain and cloud—you're going to see splits show up way faster than you would ever see in Gala." However, splits can be easily managed by watching the weather and harvesting the fruit at the right maturity, Hanrahan added. • GERALDINE WARNER/GOOD FRUIT GROWER Craig Young (center) learns about the characteristics of WA 38 during a field day at Washington State University's Sunrise Orchard between Wenatchee and Quincy. It is a vigorous variety well suited to a bi-axis system.

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