A project of the National Center for Appropriate Technology 1-800-346-9140 • www.attra.ncat.org Apples: Organic Production Guide By Tammy Hinman This publication provides information on organic apple production from recent research and producer and Guy Ames, NCAT experience. Many aspects of apple production are the same whether the grower uses low-spray, organic, Agriculture Specialists or conventional management. Accordingly, this publication focuses on the aspects that differ from Published nonorganic practices—primarily pest and disease control, marketing, and economics. (Information on March 2011 organic weed control and fertility management in orchards is presented in a separate ATTRA publica- © NCAT tion, Tree Fruits: Organic Production Overview.) This publication introduces the major apple insect pests IP020 and diseases and the most effective organic management methods. It also includes farmer profiles of working orchards and a section dealing with economic and marketing considerations. There is an exten- sive list of resources for information and supplies and an appendix on disease-resistant apple varieties. Contents Introduction ......................1 Geographical Factors Affecting Disease and Pest Management ...........3 Insect and Mite Pests .....3 Insect IPM in Apples - Kaolin Clay ........6 Diseases ........................... 14 Mammal and Bird Pests .........................20 Thinning ..........................20 Weed and Orchard Floor Management ......20 Economics and Marketing ........................22 Conclusion ......................25 Appendix 1: Disease Resistant Apple Varieties ..............26 References .....................32 Photo: Elderberry Farm and Restaurant Further Resources ........34 Acknowledgments Introduction This publication draws on previous ATTRA pub- Apples, Malus sp., are among the most diffi- lications on apple production written by Richard cult crops to grow organically. They are prone The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, Earles, Guy Ames, Radhika Balasubrahmanyam, to attack by more pests than perhaps any other ATTRA (www.attra.ncat.org), Holly Born, and Rex Dufour. was developed and is managed crop. Without effective management, the worst by the National Center for of these pests can be devastating—to the fruit, Appropriate Technology (NCAT). We recognize the tried-and-true experience The project is funded through of organic orchardists and draw extensively to the grower’s spirit, and to the bottom line. a cooperative agreement with To minimize or eliminate chemical inputs while the United States Department from them in this publication. Special thanks of Agriculture’s Rural Business- to the farms that agreed to be profiled in this keeping yields and profits sound, the grower must Cooperative Service. Visit the NCAT website (www.ncat.org/ publication: Elderberry Farm and Restaurant, develop a detailed understanding of the orchard sarc_current.php) for Skaneateles, New York; Hoch Orchard and Gar- as a managed ecosystem. In this regard, there is more information on our other sustainable dens, LaCrescent, Minnesota; and Home Acres no substitute for direct observation and experi- agriculture and Orchard in Stevensville, Montana. energy projects. ence, along with a willingness to experiment. As the organic market for apples increases, more This publication touches on some orchard- organic management options are available to floor and weed-management options specific growers. This publication will outline many of to apples. More information on organic weed these options for pest and disease management as control and fertility management in orchards is well as describe marketing options and enterprise available in ATTRA’s Tree Fruits: Organic Pro- evaluation for organic apples. duction Overview. For an introduction to IPM principles and practices, see ATTRA’s Biointen- A note on terms: sive Integrated Pest Management. Organic fruit production involves more than Geographic and climatic considerations, cultivar simply excluding synthetic pesticides and fer- selection, the local pest complex, market prices, tilizers. Benign neglect does not meet National production costs, and other factors all influence Organic Program standards for production, nor the design and viability of an organic system. would it satisfactorily manage the numerous Because this publication is national in scope, it pest species that frequent the apple. Organic agriculture is an integrated approach of active can only introduce the most common pest and and observant management of a farming sys- disease problems and selected organic control tem. The USDA’s National Organic Program strategies. No method presented here will be (NOP) defines organic production as “A produc- appropriate for every orchard or every region. tion system that is managed … to respond to The following is a set of guidelines, not prescrip- site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, tions. The individual producer must try various biological, and mechanical practices that foster tools and evaluate them according to efficacy, cycling of resources, promote ecological bal- cost, production, marketing goals, and personal ance, and conserve biodiversity.” preferences. Included in this publication are references to What begins as a fragmented pest-by-pest set of the organic standards authorized by the USDA’s tactics must gradually form an overall manage- National Organic Program, www.ams.usda.gov/ ment plan in which the various strategies work nop. Organic producers should verify with an accredited certification agency that their prac- together as much as possible. The publications tices and any materials they intend to use are Twenty Years of Apple Production Under an Eco- compliant with NOP standards. In addition, if a logical Approach to Pest Management, by Ron farmer is planning on marketing internationally, Prokopy, and The Apple Grower: A Guide for there may be further production and labeling the Organic Orchardist, by Michael Phillips, are requirements. ATTRA has numerous resources excellent guides for an orchardist transitioning on beginning or transitioning to organic pro- to organic production. The Further Resources duction. See Guide to ATTRA’s Organic Publica- section has information on how to obtain these tions for an overview of these. publications. Obstacles to organic apple production include the following: • Cultural guidelines for controlling one pest may create conditions that favor another pest. • Many organic pest-control tactics tend to give highly variable results from loca- tion to location and year to year. • Traditional local support services are often unable to provide much informa- tion or guidance. • The practices may be labor and/or capi- tal intensive. Apples can be difficut to grow organically. Photo: Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bug- wood.org Page 2 ATTRA Apples: Organic Production Guide Geographical Factors Northeast Major Diseases: scab, re blight, Affecting Disease and mildew, cedar apple rust, sooty blotch, Pest Management Coastal summer rots increasing West Key Insects: codling moth, West of the “tree line” (approximately the 97th plum curculio, trunk borers, Major Diseases: West European sawy, apple maggot, meridian, a line running roughly from Fort scab, re blight, Major Diseases: catfacing bugs (including powdery mildew re blight, powdery mildew, marmorated stink bug) Worth, Texas, to Fargo, North Dakota) a major some scab pressure Key Insects: pest of many tree fruits—the plum curculio—is codling moth, Key Insects: codling moth, apple maggot catfacing bugs, not present. This fact, coupled with reduced dis- (few but Oriental fruit moth ease pressure, facilitates organic production of quarantine in eect) Southeast apples in much of the West. The many large-scale Major Diseases: scab (little less organic apple orchards in Washington and Cali- than NE), re blight, cedar apple rust, sooty blotch, summer rots severe fornia are testament to the relative ease of organic Key Insects: plum curculio, apple production in that part of the country. codling moth, Oriental fruit moth, Common Apple Pests by Region trunk borers, catfacing bugs Eastern growers, on the other hand, must con- tend with the plum curculio and increased inci- dence of fungal diseases. Northeastern growers For instance, mating disruption for codling have the apple maggot as an additional major moth only works on codling moth; Bacil- pest. In the Southeast, fruit rots can be especially lus thuringiensis is effective against some lepi- troublesome. The prognosis for eastern organic dopteran species but not hemipterans, coleop- apple production is starting to look up, however. terans, etc.; borers necessitate their own separate Through a combination of innovative pest-man- control efforts; sulfur works reasonably well agement strategies and diligent research, many against rust but not at all against blight; and one of the issues associated with organic apple pro- cultivar that is resistant to scab may not be resis- duction in the East are beginning to be resolved. tant to any other disease. Surround, a kaolin-clay-based pesticide, has dramatically changed the face of organic fruit So even though in theory it appeared that production in the eastern U.S. These control apples could be grown organically if all these measures are time and management intensive, approaches were employed, it was generally however, and growers need to account for addi- only the most meticulous, energetic, and well- tional pest-management