Abstract
Organic apple production in the eastern US is small and is mostly based on existing varieties, which are susceptible to scab, and rootstocks, which are susceptible to fire blight. This requires numerous sprays per year of various pesticides to produce acceptable fruit. From 2014 to 2016, we tested different arthropod, disease and weed management programs in an advanced tall spindle high-density production system that included disease-resistant cultivars and rootstocks, in an organic research planting of apples in Geneva, New York. Arthropod and disease management regimens were characterized as Advanced Organic, Minimal Organic, or Untreated Control. Results varied by year and variety, but, in general, the Advanced program was more effective than the Minimal program in preventing damage from internal-feeding Lepidoptera, plum curculio, and obliquebanded leafroller, and less effective than the Minimal program against damage by foliar insects. Both organic programs provided comparable control of sooty blotch, cedar apple rust, and fire blight, with some variability across cultivars and years. The advanced selection CC1009 and Modi seemed to possess complete resistance to cedar apple rust, while Pristine had partial resistance. For weed control, bark chip mulch, organic soap sprays, and limonene sprays tended to be most effective, while mechanical tillage and flame weeding had lower success.
Highlights
Organic apple production continues to expand in the western US, but few growers have adopted the system in the eastern part of the country
The in-season sampling sessions for infestations of overwintered obliquebanded leafroller larvae showed no difference among treatments in 2014 or 2015, but, in 2016, trees in the Advanced Organic program had significantly lower infestations than the Untreated Control, while those in the Minimal
This study was an attempt to evaluate and compare specific selected combinations of organically acceptable tactics and products in their efficacy against the complex of arthropods, diseases and weeds occurring in a typical New York apple production system
Summary
Organic apple production continues to expand in the western US, but few growers have adopted the system in the eastern part of the country. In 2015, more than 4600 ha of apple orchards were reported to be under organic certification in Washington. In New York, the second largest apple producing state in the country, just over 50 ha were under organic management [1]. Eastern apple growers contend with more than 50 direct and indirect arthropod pests, as well as more than 20 plant diseases without the aid of effective pest management tactics. The organic apple industry in New York is small compared with the state’s apple production, with an estimated 43 growers [1], compared with approximately 700 conventional
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