all of our Honey Crisp ap... - Ask Extension
all of our Honey Crisp apples have brown spots inside, they taste good but did not get sprayed are they good to eat or ;make apple sauce etc.?
Knowledgebase
all of our Honey Crisp ap... #153298
Asked September 18, 2013, 5:37 PM EDT
all of our Honey Crisp apples have brown spots inside, they taste good but did not get sprayed are they good to eat or ;make apple sauce etc.?
Wright County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thank you for the question. Without a photo, it's hard to say exactly what is causing the brown spots. It might be apple maggot. Apple maggot is an important pest throughout our state, infecting all varieties of apples. The female apple maggot flies emerge from the soil about July 1st. She generally feeds in nearby woods and returns to the apple to lay eggs. There is a dimple or small spot where the egg is laid. The egg hatches and the maggot eats the apple flesh. Brown spots appear inside the apple as a result of the maggot eating the apple flesh. The apple drops from the tree, the maggot enters the ground to overwinter, and the whole cycle is repeated again next year. The larvae are not inside your apples now so use the apples in whatever way you like. This information comes from a University of Minnesota Publication on apple diseases and pests. Please read for a thorough explanation and ways to prevent trouble next year.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1235.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1235.html
Thank you-if the apples are still on the tree with these maggot trails are they stlll OK to eat? How do I know when the maggot is gone?
The only way to know the maggot is gone is to cut open the
apple. There may be good areas that you
can cut out and use for sauce, pies etc.
Another expert has suggested that the brown areas could be a
condition called Bitter Pit. I have
included part of this publication from Oregon State University Extension that
explains the problem well :
BITTER PIT IN APPLES
Bitter
pit causes sunken, irregularly shaped spots on the apple skin. They vary in
size, but
many
are about 1/4 inch (5-6 mm) in diameter. Peeling the apple discloses brown,
corky
pockets
which are more concentrated near the skin, but some may be found deep in the
apple
tissue.
These corky pockets have a bitter flavor, hence the name bitter pit. There are
usually
more
spots toward the blossom end of the fruit.
This
is not a disease caused by a fungus, bacterium or virus. It is a physiological
disorder
associated
with low levels of calcium in the fruit. There may be plenty of calcium in the
soil
and
even in the leaves and bark of the tree, but there is not enough in the fruit.
Bitter
pit may be due, in part, to competition between shoots and fruit for calcium.
Heavy
dormant
season pruning which increases shoot growth also increases the amount of bitter
pit.
Excess
fertilization with nitrogen also increases bitter pit.
Bitter
pit usually occurs in years of light crops and not in heavy crop years. Some
varieties of
apples
are more prone to bitter pit than others. It is sometimes apparent at harvest
time, but
with
some varieties bitter pit may appear only after a period of storage. The
problem increases
in
severity with longer storage.
You can click on
this Extension link that shows a picture of Bitter Pit on a Honeycrip. http://www.extension.org/pages/66262/bitter-pit-and-calcium-deficiencies-in-apple-fruit#.UjtVx9KshLc
Again, it is hard
to know what your apple problem is without a photo, but perhaps this information will
help you figure it out.