1. Usually if there is a pattern with harvest, it is earlier harvested fruit that are more susceptible.

2. No ethylene will not enhance bitter pit.

Research has been done on ethylene absorbers for apples, and a number of strategies have been tested, with some success.

Apple firmness (sometimes referred to as pressure) is measured with a penetrometer using an 11-mm round tipped probe. A very thin slice of the skin is removed on two sides of the fruit at the

The logic for the delayed harvest is that less mature fruit (earlier harvested) are generally more susceptible to bitter pit.

Many years ago scientists classified fruits into two categories:  climacteric and non-climacteric.  Climacteric fruit usually undergo dramatic changes during "ripening" and these ch

You probably want to purchase a hand-held firmness tester called an Effegi.There are more accurate devices, but they are costly and not very useful in the field.The hand hel