Weed Control 3. Pest Management 6. It is a very intense time because depending on how diversified a grower is, they can be harvesting nonstop from July well into November with cherries, plums, prunes, peaches, apricots, nectarines, pears, and apples. Apples are the last to be harvested and even the different varieties must be picked at different times. A field man will come into the orchard and test several apples in each area.
Pressure is tested by inserting a steel rod into the apple.
The pressure reading appears on a guage. In testing for starch, iodine is spraying on several apple halves. The resulting starch pattern is compared to a chart showing proper levels of starch content. To test for sugar, juice from an apple is applied to a glass plate on a refractometer. Light passes through the glass plate, and like a prism, the light reveals the level of sugar in units called brix.