STORAGE OF APPLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18888, 22 December 1924, Page 8

STORAGE OF APPLES.

ELIMINATION OF LOSS.

FRUIT COLLAPSE TROUBLE.

THE CONDITIONS ESTABLISHED

[Bi' TELEGBATH. —PHESS ASSOCIATION.] NELSON. Saturday.

Great importance attaches to the apple cool storage investigations. Very extensive work has been done by Mr. R. Waters, officer in charge of the biological laboratory, and Mr. W. C. Hyde, of the Department of Agriculture. The last lot of fruit under experimental storage was examined this week.

Outlining the work, Messrs. Waters and Hyde said tho fruit was picked before, at and after full maturity, six stages in all being represented. Samples of each were carefully inspected from time to time, one set of samples being placed under average conditions and another in a chamber at slightly higher temperature. After eight months in storage the last set of samples has been cut up and their exact condition recorded. The result of all the examinations is highly satisfactory. In all the stores dealt with in the apples picked slightly before and at full maturity flesh collapse has been usually entirely absent. Occasionally the closest scrutiny revealed slight traces only, while the mature lines, which have been proved to be more prone to the trouble, under tho higher temperature conditions, have developed some flesh collapse, but not moro than 3 per cent, of the fruit is badly affected in this way. Primary Cause Sought.

In 1920, when flesh collapse occasioned very great loss, orchard conditions were largely blamed. It was stated that locality, rainfall, cultivation, manuring and tho time of harvesting were the primary causes of apple flesh collapse, but a study of these operations and conditions showed that while they had great influence on the quality of the apple and its susceptibility they were not the primary causes of tne trouble, and during the following season attention was given ( to cool storage conditions, i.e., circulation of atmosphere, storage temperatures and low humidity, as observation showed that stores with long hours of working gave inferior results. The working hours for tho fans and batteries in certain stores were reduced, and trie stacking of the fruit improved, but the losses from flesh collapse persisted. In 1922 ventilation was one of tho main factors dealt with and comparisons were made in tho different stores. It was during this season that the greatly increased susceptibility of apples that wcro rather past full maturity was observed, a fact that experiment has endorsed each year since, although further work now shows that even such fruit can bo stored satisfactorily for a considerable time. Improved Chamber Conditions.

At a conference of thoso interested in cool storage problems held in Nelson in 1923, the need for better ventilation of the store;} was stressed, and while ventilation, where increased during the following storage season, gavo many improvements tho disappearanco of apple "scald" being ono of them, a large percentage of flesh collapse in apples still persisted. In this year Mr. Waters visited the main cool stores in Australia and Tasmania, and in Nelson continued his observations .of the last two cool storage factors, temperature and humidity. Two features were outstanding, (1) that cool stores with a high storage temperature appeared to suffer less from flesh collapso, (2) that only one storo that year Avas entirely free from flesh collapse, and thero the large proportion of the fruit was shrivelled. These two observations seemed to prove the value of relatively high cool storage temperatures and low humidity, the combined effect on the fruit being a loss in weight. During - the present 1924 season tho work has been to test this conclusion and ascertain the extent of the necessary loss in weight and the period over which treatment shouid extend. For this purpose a special chamber of 5000 cases capacity was set aside at tho Motueka' cool store and ono of 2500 cases capacity at Stoke, and .tho growers were asked to offer apples for storage in them. The matter was taken up in the usual good spirit. Full details of the operations have been recorded and a groat deal of valuable data has been secured, which will be of immense valuo in future seasons. While results are so satisfactory as to lead many to consider that the problem has been solved, warning is made that every precaution should bo maintained until further definito experience has been gained.