2026 Pennsylvania Tree Fruit Maturity Report - September 14

Introduction

Welcome to Penn State Extension's weekly apple maturity reports. Maturity metrics for key varieties will be tracked across the state throughout the 2026 season.

In this stressful year, with crops decimated by multiple springtime freeze events and hot, dry early summer weather, informed harvest timing recommendations are critical for fruit quality, particularly for apples in mid- to long-term storage. Balancing harvest decisions against sugar accumulation, color development, starch clearing, and firmness drop is difficult to perform in a normal year. These reports serve to provide insight and help inform management decisions.

Out of respect for our collaborators' need to squeeze out as much profit as possible from their available fruit, sampling of varieties may occur a week or more later than in previous years in order to reduce Penn State Extension's impact on their harvest. Please bear this in mind as recommendations this year may require quick action.

Important/Urgent Reminder: If you wish to receive financial relief from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for losses incurred by the freeze event in April, the deadline to submit your application packet is Monday, September 21, 2026. (See the PA.gov website for an application packet and instructions.) If sending the packet by USPS, please get it in quickly to avoid delays; the website does not make it clear if the cancellation mark on the postage is sufficent. If concerned about this and you cannot use email, contact your local Extension Office. They may be able to scan your documents and send them to RA-AGFREEZEREIMBURSE@pa.gov for you. Call ahead to ensure someone is available to assist.

Adams County

Discussion

Last week was warm across Adams County, with highs running in the low-to-mid 80s and temperatures generally 4-7 °F above normal for early-to-mid September. It stayed mostly dry, aside from a bit of light rain and fog on Saturday (September 13), and rainfall for the month stayed close to normal overall.

This week continues warm to hot. Highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s through midweek, with only an early chance for an isolated shower or storm. A better chance of showers and a possible thunderstorm arrives later in the week before temperatures ease slightly. Overall, another dry, favorable stretch for harvest work with just a couple of chances for scattered rain.

This week starts with wide day-night swings. Tuesday and Wednesday both look to have swings in the 20-25 °F range, cool mornings in the 50s to lower 60s with sunny afternoons in the upper 70s to low 80s. That narrows later in the week as clouds and shower chances move in Friday through Monday, keeping both highs and lows more compressed and closer together. Overall, color development has been quite good across cultivars this year.

While the facts and forecasts indicate this to be happening, it is really beginning to feel like autumn in Adams County.  It is evident from the hillsides where apple trees that escaped the freeze have fruit readying to be picked (Figure 1), to the early dusk and beautiful sunsets (Figure 2).

Varietal Analysis

New varieties measured this week include CrimsonCrisp®, Aztec Fuji®, and Nittany.

CrimsonCrisp® should be harvested immediately (Figure 3). The starch index is already at 6.2, and soluble solids measured 14.1 °Bx. Strong red and background color development was noted (96.3% and an index of 1.2, respectively). At 222.6 g and a high firmness at 21.0 lb, a delay harvest should be avoided.

Fuji (Aztec® / DT2 cv.) was measured at 230.2 g, with red color at 67.8% and a background of 1.7 (Figure 3). Firmness came in at 16.3 lb, soluble solids at 11.0 °Bx, and starch at 3.1. Somewhat surprisingly, it is ready for harvest now if intended for long-term CA storage: the fruit are mature and already at 16 lbs pressure. The risk in waiting a week for improved color development is softening the fruit and advancing starch even more, but this would be fine if fruit are intended for short term storage.

FyreFly® measured 223.3 g this week, with red color at 28.5% and a background of 1.5 (Figure 4).  (FyreFly is a Golden Delicious × Cox’s Orange Pippin hybrid, so will never be fully “red”.) Firmness came in at 15.0 lbs pressure, soluble solids at 14.1 °Bx, and starch at 6.5. The firmness average does not adequately describe the variability in the sample: one piece measured 8.75 lbs pressure and several were in the 12-13 lb range.  When taken alongside a high starch reading, this block should be harvested immediately. 

Nittany is not ready for harvest yet and tracking its development should continue as the season progresses (Figure 4).  The bulk mean for this variety was measured at 249.9 g, with red color at 49.0% and a background of 1.5. Firmness came in at 20.3 lb, soluble solids at 10.8 °Bx, and starch at 2.0.

Red Delicious stayed put since last week at 16 lbs pressure (Figure 5). Brix moved upwards from 11.1 to 12.3 °Bx and starch continued climbing, from 3.3 to 4.6. This block was already flagged as a near-term harvest priority last week, and with starch now well advanced, harvest should not be delayed further.

Berks County

Varietal Analysis

Evercrisp® was measured for the first time this week at Keim Orchards, and is not ready for harvest (Figure 6).  Coming in at 186.5 g with a diameter of 2.4", red color was at 46.0% and a background of 3.6. Soluble solids were already strong at 15.1 °Bx, with starch low at 1.4. With firmness still high at 22.4 lb and the starch index low at 1.4, there is still some time for the red blush color to develop further despite the strong sugar reading. Continue tracking over the next few weeks.

Historical Data

The tables below contain the data collected in previous weeks of this year's reporting cycle. It is provided to provide information to growers who may be in regions where these varieties are still developing and to serve as a historical record of the 2026 growing season. Please review the previous weeks' reports for information on harvesting.

Adams County

Berks County

Acknowledgements

Starch index values were determined by referencing the Starch Index Scale published by Dr. Randy Beaudry and the MSU Apple Maturity Program at Michigan State University. The page referenced by the hyperlink provides access to a PDF copy of the document that can be freely downloaded.

Starch indexing for RubyMac® utilized the Cornell scale found in Predicting Harvest Date Windows for Apples by Blanpied and Silsby (1992).

Because of low crop set throughout our usual sampling regions, we are indebted to the following orchards for sacrificing fruit each week to make these reports possible:

• In Adams County, Penn State wishes to thank Hollabaugh Bros., Inc., in Biglerville, and Hector Mateos in particular for his assistance.
• In Berks County, Penn State wishes to thank Keim Orchard and Frecon Farms in Boyertown, and Ben Keim and Steve Frecon especially for their collaboration.

Their kindness and generosity deserves acknowledgement.

Penn State wishes to thank Rice Fruit Company for material support that helps make these reports possible.

Conclusions

Commercial fruit growers, please note: apple maturity conditions need to be monitored at a local level within one's own orchard. Before chemical products are applied, be sure to comply with current federal, state, and local usage regulations and examine the product label. Product information can be easily obtained online from CDMS.

This series of updates is made possible by a State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania (SHAP) Extension Grant (Pennsylvania Apple Maturity Program). The authors thank SHAP for the funding.