Al present, bitter pit is an unsolved problem despite of the different points of view under which it has been approached. It appears in some orchads in a intermittent way. In this paper, some of the factors that induce or contribute to the development of this disorder are discussed.These factors depend on the soil (high availability of K and/or Mg, hot and dry soils), on the plant (inhibited transpiration, excessive imbalance between leaf mass and fruit, restricted root growth, rootstocks and varieties) and on the management techniques and environmental conditions (excessive nitrogn supply, especially the ammonium forms, intensive pruning, premature harvest, fruits in shady zones, high temperatures). Also, some of the metabolic, functional and structural alterations that cause calcium deficiency, particulary in apple tree are described and some directions for its diagnostic, prevention and treatment, are presented.Peer reviewed