Producing Apples Organically in Indiana

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Producing Apples Organically in Indiana
Rick Foster Purdue University

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Challenges to Apple Production in Indiana

• Successful establishment of young trees
  competition with weeds
• Protecting trees from insects and diseases prior
  to fruit production
• Thinning
• Protecting fruit from insects and diseases

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Before You Plant Your First Tree

• Choose a site that is suitable for apple trees
• Preferably choose a site that is not near any
  other fruit trees
• Choose varieties for which you can receive a
  premium price
• Choose rootstocks and varieties with as much
  disease resistance as possible

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Our Experience

• In 1998, move began from Hort Farm west of W.
  Lafayette to Meigs Farm south of Lafayette
• Surrounded by corn and soybean fields
• In 1999, we began a study to investigate the
  potential for organic apple production in Indiana
• Component studies and organic plot

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Organic Apple Plot Meigs Farm

• Selected two varieties with scab resistance
• Pristine very early planted in 2000
• GoldRush very late planted in 1999
• Four replications of two treatments organic and
  conventional
• Each replication consisted of 4 rows of 8 trees
  each of each of the two varieties, for a total of
  64 trees per replication
• Total of 512 trees in study

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Tree Establishment

• For conventional trees, used Roundup to kill
  weeds around base of trees
• For organic trees, attempted to use organic
  insecticide (Scythe) several times, with little
  success
• In 2nd season, placed weed mat along organic rows
  and covered with tree mulch
• Most weeds controlled well except thistle

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Tree Establishment

• Inability to successfully control weeds severely
  stunted organic trees
• Organic trees approximately 1 year behind
  conventional trees in growth and production
• Using weed mats and mulch in first year probably
  would have reduced losses
• Another option is to use Roundup to establish
  trees 4-5 years before fruit production begins

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Diseases

• Most important disease is scab
• No effective organic fungicides available that
  will control scab
• Choice of scab free varieties will greatly
  increase odds of success
• Sooty blotch and fly speck are very common,
  although not devastating, disease of fruit
• Sprays of sulfur provided unsatisfactory control
• Sooty blotch and fly speck can be washed off

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Apple Scab
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Diseases - Recommendations

• Choose scab free varieties
• Sanitation pick up drops prune diseased limbs,
  etc.
• Proper pruning allows plants to dry more
  quickly and better spray penetration
• After fruit formation, regular sprays of sulfur

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Insects and Mites

• Japanese beetles
• Plum curculio
• Codling moth
• Apple maggot
• Aphids
• European red mites

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Japanese Beetles

• Defoliation is serious threat to young trees
• Best organic solution is neem
• Neem is a repellent nontoxic
• Scout regularly and spray as soon as you see the
  first beetles
• Repeat sprays if beetles dont leave or if they
  return

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Plum Curculio

• Most difficult insect to control in organic
  systems
• Overwinters as adult
• Females lay eggs in young fruit
• Larvae begin feeding within fruit
• Fruit drop from tree
• Larvae complete development in fruit and pupate
  in soil or within fruit
• Adults move back into trees

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Plum Curculio Management

• Weak spot in life cycle
• Pick up dropped fruit
• Traps and sticky barriers have not worked
• Surround provides some control

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How to Use Surround

• Make first application as soon as the petals fall
  off the king blossom
• Repeat applications on a weekly basis for 2-3
  weeks
• Repeat applications if heavy rains fall
• Goal is to maintain good coating on king fruit
  and other fruit

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Codling Moth

• Key insect pest in most apple systems
• Must be controlled
• 2-3 generations per year
• Cant let larvae enter fruit

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Codling Moth Management Options

• Again, sanitation is key
• Proper pruning
• Surround is not effective

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Codling Moth Management Options

• Again, sanitation is key
• Proper pruning
• Surround is not effective
• Entrust

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Entrust

• Organic formulation of SpinTor
• Allowed 3 applications per year
• Target first two at 1st generation
• Use pheromone traps and degree days to determine
  timing
• Last spray for 2nd generation
• Supplement with Pyganic

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Codling Moth Management Options

• Again, sanitation is key
• Proper pruning
• Surround is not effective
• Entrust
• Mating disruption

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Mating Disruption

• Insects communicate with pheromones
• Inundate orchard with pheromone
• Point and sprayable formulations
• Commonly used by conventional growers in the
  Northwest

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Apple Maggot

• More common in northern part of Indiana and Ohio
• Less serious than codling moth and plum curculio
• Present from late June until end of season

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Apple Maggot Management

• Sanitation
• Traps not very effective
• Weekly sprays with low rate of Pyganic

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European Red Mite

• Secondary pest
• Not likely to be a problem for organic growers
• Predatory mites will take care of problem
• If necessary, summer oils or soap can be used

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Thinning

• Proper thinning results in larger fruit and more
  even fruit load over years
• Avoid biennial bearing
• Organic thinners are not effective
• Hand thinning is best available alternative

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Results of Our Studies

• Yields are suppressed in organic trees in early
  years catches up later
• Better early weed management would have
  eliminated most of yield differences
• Peter Hirst yields of both organic and
  conventional trees are acceptable for the age of
  the trees
• Insect damage is somewhat higher in organic trees
• Sooty blotch and fly speck are more common in
  organic plots

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Conventional GoldRush
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Organic GoldRush
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Organic Apple Production My Recommendations

• Start from scratch
• Choose site well
• Choose rootstocks and varieties with as much
  disease resistance as possible
• Get the trees off to a good start weed control
• Start small
• Plan on hand thinning

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Disease Management

• Resistant varieties
• Regular sprays of sulfur
• Wash fruit to remove sooty blotch and fly speck
• Pick up dropped fruit

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Insect Management

• Sanitation is key
• Multiple applications of Surround beginning
  during bloom until good coating is obtained
• Use pheromone traps to time codling moth spray
• Apply Entrust 150 DD after biofix and 2 weeks
  later
• Apply Entrust 150 DD after 2nd flight begins
• Consider mating disruption for codling moth
• Apply low rate of Pyganic weekly beginning
  mid-June
• Neem for Japanese beetles

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Questions?