Dissecting the influence of the orchard location and the maturity at harvest on apple quality, physiology and susceptibility to major postharvest pathogens

‘Golden Reinders’ apple quality parameters, fruit physiology, biochemical composition and susceptibility to Penicillium expansum Rhizopus stolonifer were analysed in harvested from four different locations (two valley two mountain orchards) the same orchard at six maturity stages. Growing location strongly influenced taste- health-related whereas harvest mainly affected ethylene biosynthetic pathway ethylene-dependant traits such as firmness starch index. The harvest, but not growing location, also severity of infection caused by P. R. stolonifer, with mature showing higher pathogen infection. Besides, employing a Partial Least Square (PLS) regression model, our data showed that lesions intimately related production. Overall, results this study demonstrate differences environmental conditions between orchards (mountain vs valley) apples without affecting major postharvest pathogens.