Pears turning brown inside around core - Ask Extension
My Bartlett pears are absolutely perfect on the outside, firm green and without a mar. We have started picking to ripen off the tree. However cuttin...
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Pears turning brown inside around core #204769
Asked August 05, 2014, 1:53 PM EDT
My Bartlett pears are absolutely perfect on the outside, firm green and without a mar. We have started picking to ripen off the tree. However cutting inside reveals a soft brown mushiness near and around the core. On basket full has already been discarded an I am afraid the second is going to follow. What can be the problem? Temperature? Water? Help! My early apples seem mushy as well.
Marion County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi:
The symptoms you describe are consistent with the fruit having matured a bit too much on the tree. If you look at the link to the Extension Publication, though, you are picking certainly before the usual harvest date, so what is going is certainly odd. I wonder if this is happening because of warm weather. If you can contact me through my email address below and send a couple of pictures of the split fruit that would help. I can do some additional research for you to see what else might be potential causes of your problem. It would help to know age of the tree, watering practices, fertilizer use, any calcium applications, previous problems with this disorder, and so on. I'll need to know more about the apples, too, starting with the cultivar(s) and including those other questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
The symptoms you describe are consistent with the fruit having matured a bit too much on the tree. If you look at the link to the Extension Publication, though, you are picking certainly before the usual harvest date, so what is going is certainly odd. I wonder if this is happening because of warm weather. If you can contact me through my email address below and send a couple of pictures of the split fruit that would help. I can do some additional research for you to see what else might be potential causes of your problem. It would help to know age of the tree, watering practices, fertilizer use, any calcium applications, previous problems with this disorder, and so on. I'll need to know more about the apples, too, starting with the cultivar(s) and including those other questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/17252/fs147.pdf
Neil