DISEASE IN APPLES

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 175, 12 April 1923, Page 5

DISEASE IN APPLES

EXPERIMENTS BY ENGLISH SCIENTISTS /

DOMINION REPRESENTATIVE’S REPORT

A good prospect of ensuring the arrival, of New Zealand apples in London frea from disease, such as brown heart, contracted during the voyage, is said to be assured as a result of investigation and experiment by English scientists, in Co-operation with Australian and New Zealand officials.

Serious losses were made last year by Australian and New Zealand applegrowers through a trouble termed "Brown Heart” that made its appearance amongst cool-stored apples. Many Wellington citizens will remember this condition amongst apples sold locally towards the eifd of last year. Outwardly tho fruit showed little or nothing wrong with it, but within the flesh of the apple was more or less browned and frequently had a bitter and unpleasant taste. x Mr. R. Waters, of the Biology Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, has been investigating- the cause ot this disease, and as a r'esult of his work extending over the past three years, read a paper in January last before a conference of the fruit, coolstorer.« of New Zealand, dealing with the methods to be adopted for the prevention tf the disease.

Expedition to Australia. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Cambridge and London, have simultaneously had the disease under investigation, and decided this year to dispatch an exnedition of four scientists to Australia, for the purpose of setting up a series of experiments on Homeward-bound vessels from the Commonwealth, and of accompanying certain apple shipments to London, taking accurate observations of tho condition of the fruit and its environment on the voyage._ At the request of the principals of the' Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and of the National Physical Laboratory ,_ Mr. Waters was dispatched to Australia in February for the purpose of collaborating with tho members of the Cambridge expedition. He has just returned after having had a good opportunity of discussing the whole problem with Dr. Griffiths, who is in charge, and his co-workers. An extensive installation of delicate instruments has been provided on certain vessels carrying apples to .London, whereby an exact record of tho condition of tho fruit cluring transit can be obtained. Some illuminating results are looked for from tho experiments that have just been instituted, which should provide sufficient data from which to lay down methods to bo adopted in the future for th« successful transport of apples to London.

Shipment of. Fruit. Apart from the - experiments, Mr. Waters commented on the individual efforts of the shi]x>wners in their, endeavour to satisfactorily carry the fruit ’ this year. Their main object was to secure better conditions, of circulation and ventilation., and in this matter no expense was being spared. Never before has there been more welldirected attempts, to succeed in the trapsport of the fruit than this year; and although there was great variation ijj the methods > adopted he thought we could certainly, look for more successful deliveries in London than had been made in recent years.

Temperature In Storage. Whilst in the Commonwealth he made, a tour of the land cool stores of Few South Wales, Victoria, and Tasman a. There is much, ho said, to be gleaned from their methods. The wet battery (i.e., dripping brine) was exceedingly common, and the floor to ceiling circulation not infrequent. One striking and important feature of their methods was. the rapidity with {which they brought down the temperature, of the fruit at the commencement of the cool storage season; in less< than 24 hours the flesh temperature of the apples were commonly brought well under 40 degrees. This rapid reduction in the temperof the fruit resulted in a corresponding check upon . the life processes of the fruit. . This meant that the conversion of oxygen Into carbon dioxide in the breathing process of the tipples was reduced to a mjjihnum; so that - The atmosphere of the stores was thus kept in a wholesome condidition- with a. minimum of ventilation.