The Effect of Apple Fruit Bruising on Total Returns Richard C. Funt, Ewen A. Cameron, and Nigel H. Banks Introduction Apple growers produce and market a crop that requires a large investment in labor, equipment, and chemicals. Success in the orchard is a combination of good management and sound business practices. Depending on farm size, many apple growers are able to perform most of the labor requirements, except for harvesting and packing.
Many growers hire labor at harvest time and transport the harvested fruit to a packing house.
Prior to harvest, the grower has some control over the condition of the fruit including color, size, firmness, and freedom from pest and disease damage. At harvest, the hired labor plays an important economic role in the total returns that the grower receives. Apples at harvest can be bruised by labor, transport to the packing house, and the grading and packing operation. In a competitive world market, bruising can affect future sales if strict marketing standards do not eliminate bruised apples at the packing house. Therefore, the future of the New Zealand apple industry is dependent on a quality product, which results from excellent marketing standards in addition to growers who can achieve profitable pack out of exported fruit.