Introducing A Grower's Guide to Organic Apples, a Science-Based Manual for Growing Organic Apples In the Northeastern U.S

We recently published A Grower’s Guide to Organic Apples, one of thirteen organic guidelines released through Cornell University’s New York State Integrated Pest Management program. The guide was written in response to the many New York fruit growers who had expressed interest in producing for the organic sector, where prices are relatively high and demand is increasing, but reliable science-based production information is difficult to find. Growing organic fruit in the Northeast is a challenging and complex operation requiring in-depth knowledge of horticulture, insect and disease management, available cultivars and genetic resources, soil fertility and conservation, and strategic marketing. A Grower’s Guide to Organic Apples compiles and distills information from university research trials, making the essential elements for organic apple production available to growers, extension educators, crop consultants, researchers, and others who desire to produce organic apples. The goal of this guide is to help growers produce the highest quality fruit possible, utilizing organic techniques and systems. The Guide primarily focuses on commercial orchard systems, but also provides small-scale producers and hobbyists with appropriate information on organic techniques. The Guide includes seventeen chapters and three appendices that describe organic certification regulations, site selection and orchard design, disease resistant rootstocks and cultivars (nearly 50 disease-resistant apple cultivars are listed), soil fertility and ground-cover management, crop-load management, organically approved pesticides, key pests and diseases, harvest and post-harvest handling, and estimated costs of production. A Grower’s Guide to Organic Apples is available as a free download at: http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/organic_guide/.  Between January 2010 and January 2011, the Guide was downloaded 6,634 times.