Fruit Quality Investigation Of 'Fuji' Apple In The Main Apple Production Area In Western Liaoning Province

The main apple production area in western Liaoning Province is one of the earliest regions growing cultivated apple in China, and an important district of the circum-Bohai bay zone dominant producing apple. Its market share and influence is yet lower than that of east liaoning peninsula, east shandong peninsula and Loess Plateau. Fruit quality is the key factor influencing sustainable development of apple industry in this district. In this paper, questionnaire survey, sampling examination and statistical analysis were employed to find out the fruit quality status of 'Fuji' apple, its influence factor and problems in the main apple production area in western Liaoning province and to put forward some suggestions. The main results are as follows:1. External quality of all apple samples fit to first order product based on the standard of fresh apple (GB/T 10651-2008). The ratio of economic fruit is above 90% and the ratio of high quality fruit is about 30%, which is necessary to improve more. Qualified rate of physicochemical quality of apple is 72.5%, for each single quality parameter,82.5% apples fit to hardness standard (7.38±0.40N/cm2),90% apples fit to soluble solids content standard (14.1%±1.08%) and 87.5% apples fit to total acidity standard (0.33%±0.062%). Qualified rate of hygienic quality of apple fruit is 95%. in the harmful heavy metal detection of Plumbum, Cadmium, inorganic Arsenic and total Mercury. Plumbum, cadmium, inorganic arsenic and total mercury can all be detected, but there were only two samples whose plumbum content exceeded the standard requirement (5%). Over standard of pesticide residue in apple fruit is not found in the residue detection of 30 common pesticides. Only Carbendazim, Dimethoate, Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), Chlorothalonil, Chlorpyrifos, Cyhalothrin, Hexachlorocyclohexane, Dichlorvos, Fenvalerate and Triadimefon can be detected.2. The average annual rainfall, which centralize within the late august to middle September, is 550-650 mm for the apple production areas in western Liaoning province, leading the unbalanced water supply of soil in the whole growing season. Site conditions of orchards are not good due to 90% orchards locate in the mountain and slope land. The soil depth of 75% orchards is less than one meter and soil texture of 65% orchards is sandy, so the water and fertilizer retaining capacity is poor. Soil management is extensive, and mainly with no-tillage and cleaning tillage way. There are about 55% orchards soil which manure application quantity is less than 3000kg/667m2, and the nitrogen fertilizer is over-applied and the phosphorus and potassium is under-applied. Irrigation and water supply are not enough for 60% orchards. Pests controls are mainly depend on the chemicals, but no contraband pesticides were found. The poor site conditions, insufficient water and fertilizer applying, over loading fruits and early harvest mainly resulted in the poor apple external and physicochemical quality.3. Apple production management status are mainly scattered in peasant household orchards with un-uniform management, orchards scale are small. Among of them,42.5% orchards are less than 5 Mu, 37.5% orchards are between 5 and 10 Mu, and 20% orchards are more than 20 Mu. For the annual production,27.5% orchards are lower than 10 ton,47.5% orchards are between 10 to 20 ton, and 25% orchards are more than 20 ton. There is no large-scale enterprise for apple storage, transportation and processing, the apple cooperative organizations have no enough market information and deploitation measurements. The farmers'returns were limited by the storage and transportation conditions, grading method and making price mechanism. Because of the scattered individual orchards production mode and lacking technique training, the apple production techniques are not uniform, the standard production level is low, so the apple quality of different orchards are irregular and poor.