Managing fruit quality on high-value varieties: Harvista™, ReTain® or both?

September 2021 | Presented by Dr Craig Kahlke | Future Orchards®

This presentation examines harvest-management tools used to retain fruit quality and manage maturity in high-value apple varieties, comparing Harvista™ and ReTain® and considering situations where the two approaches may be used together.

The key management issue is that high-value fruit often needs enough harvest flexibility to build colour, organise picking and protect storage potential without allowing maturity to move beyond the desired window. PGR-based maturity tools can influence ethylene-related processes, but the orchard objective, cultivar, maturity stage and intended market all need to be considered.

The video is a practical companion to Future Orchards® harvest-management material, helping growers think through product choice in terms of fruit quality, harvest scheduling and the commercial value of extending or stabilising the picking window.