Harvesting Peaches and Pears (5462)

Fresh-market fruit growers have long been concerned about bruising. Processing-fruit growers also have grown concerned because unbruised fruit commands the best prices. The vast majority of bruising in the harvest process falls into two categories: (1) picking bruises associated with rough handling and detrimental impacts, and (2) compression bruises associated with significant vibrations during transport.

Bruising is an ever-present problem. One study showed that bruising of fruit after harvest ranged from 0.6 to 13 percent, with an average of 7.1 percent. A study conducted of packing sheds indicated that bruising caused 8.1 percent of the culls, while another study found bruising to cause only 2.7 percent of the culls. At the retail level in supermarkets, bruising was found to range from 29 to 78 percent, averaging 61 percent.

For more information, please see this Penn State Tree Fruit Production Guide Web page.

Penn State Horticulture Department

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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