Occupational fruit cultivation
Apples are cultivated in Germany on around 34,000 hectares. This corresponds to 69 percent of the tree fruit acreage. The main apple varieties in German cultivation are "Elstar" with 17.5 percent and Jonagold apples (main the "Jonagold" variety) with 11.4 percent of the apple acreage, followed by "Braeburn" (6.8 percent) and "Gala" (5, 6 percent).
About 18 percent of the apples are produced through organic farming. Shear-resistant varieties such as the "Topaz" play an important role here, since no chemical pesticides may be used.
The commercial fruit cultivation has changed dramatically since the 1970s. Until then, large-crowned, tall-stemmed and therefore labor-intensive apple trees dominated the orchards. Today, cultivation takes place exclusively on small-crowned spindles. So now, 10 to 20 times as many trees are standing on the same surface area.
Apple trees are getting smaller and more productive
Thanks to intensive breeding work, in recent decades apple trees have become smaller, more compact and more productive. In today's apple cultivation one usually only finds so-called Niederstammformen, where the canopy already starts at a height of approximately 40 to 60 centimeters.
The trees are so close together that after a few years they form a loose 'hedge'. The scaffolding then only consists of the trunk. The lateral axes are fruit shoots or fruit branches, so that the fruits grow very close to the trunk. The growth height of the trees is limited, so that all fruits can be reached easily, without a ladder.
Harvesting is still done by hand
Even today, apples are mainly harvested by hand. It is important that they go into storage without any damage or pressure marks. Even if the fruits are only slightly damaged, this reduces the quality and the fruits suffer from the subsequent sorting, packaging and transporting.
Furthermore, everything depends on the right degree of maturity. If the fruits are too ripe, even finger pressure when picking or emptying a container into a larger box can lead to bruises and brown spots. Carefully harvested apples can be stored for a long time. That is why German apples are still available until late spring.
Source: Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE)