Effect of harvesting dates on physical characteristics of apple (Red Delicious) across various locations of the Kashmir Valley

Abstract

The present research investigation, titled "Effect of harvesting dates on physical characteristics of Apple (Red Delicious) across various locations of Kashmir valley," was conducted in the Division of Food Science and Technology, SKUAST-Kashmir during the years 2023-2024. Apple fruits were gathered (based on Days from Full Bloom) at three distinct dates separated by 10 days (H1, H2, and H3). Following harvest, the fruits were separated into three lots: one for fresh analysis, a second for ambient storage, and a third for refrigerated storage to monitor quality changes over time. Among physical parameters, average fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit thickness, arithmetic mean diameter, equivalent mean diameter, geometric mean diameter, fruit surface area, and volume increased while specific gravity, solid density, and bulk density decreased with each harvest. The sphericity and aspect ratio did not alter much between harvests. The fruit hardness decreased with each consecutive harvest. Optimal harvest date for apple CV. Red Delicious was discovered to be 161 for Srinagar, 163 for Budgam, 162 for Pattan, 152 for Kupwara, 162 for Anantnag, and Shopian 162 DFFB.