Determination of Optimum Harvest Time of 'Geumchonjosaeng' Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) and Its Shelf Life at Ambient Temperature

‘Geumchonjosaeng’ was recently developed in Korea. One of the shortcomings of this variety is that the appearance of skin color is not necessarily a good indication of harvest maturity since ripening of flesh tissue takes precedence over skin color change. To market high quality fruits, therefore, careful examination of fruit characteristics is required before harvest. The uneven maturity may be caused by bagging the fruit to promote attractive skin color. This study was aimed at determining the optimum harvest time of ‘Geumchonjosaeng’. The major sugar of ‘Geumchonjosaeng’ was identified as sucrose and it reached its peak at 140 days after full bloom. Also, skin color turned into greenish yellow to brown after reaching the peak. The shelf life of fruits harvested at this point was approximately 20 days at ambient temperature in terms of flesh firmness, weight loss, and skin color.