Apple water core — a seasonal problem

14 June 2011 | Presented by Stephen Tancred, Orchard Services | Future Orchards® presentation

Water core is a physiological disorder that can appear as translucent, water-soaked tissue around the vascular bundles or core of an apple. In this Future Orchards® presentation Stephen Tancred treats it as a seasonal quality problem that growers and packers need to recognise when maturity, variety and environmental conditions combine to raise risk.

The disorder is closely linked with advanced fruit maturity and high concentrations of sugars and related solutes in the fruit. Symptoms can be difficult to judge externally, which makes maturity assessment and representative cutting of fruit important when a block or variety has a history of water core.

From a management perspective, the presentation reinforces the importance of harvesting at an appropriate maturity for the intended market and storage period. Fruit that is more advanced at harvest may have a higher risk of internal quality problems and may require different storage or marketing decisions from fruit harvested earlier.

The resource is useful as a reminder that seasonal disorders should be considered as part of harvest planning rather than treated only after fruit reaches the cool room. Monitoring block maturity and internal fruit condition before harvest can help reduce surprises later in the supply chain.