The Fruit Growers News

Michigan’s first ever extensive, organic research project with apples has begun at the Clarksville Horticultural Research Station.

This new formal organic research and education initiative for apple production and marketing will utilize the expertise of Michigan State University (MSU) and the organic farming community. Five acres of apples have been planted in a research project that should last at least 10 years, according to Phil Schwallier, coordinator of the station. One-third of the acreage is Gold Rush, an apple scab resistant variety for processing and fresh, one-third is Gala for fresh and one-third Golden Delicious for processing. The three varieties will be compared through economic assessment, to try to prove that production of organic apples in an intensive management system is profitable, according to project information.

“I think it will be really a great project. In four-five years, we’ll really have a lot of good information on organics,” said Schwallier.

Organic growers in Michigan have been experimenting on their own and trying to make it work, said Schwallier. The organic community has mainly used on-farm research and farmer-to-farmer education initiatives.

“Certainly the pressure for this has come from the growers. Growers are very much interested in this,” said Dick Harwood, Mott professor of sustainable agriculture at MSU. Harwood, one of a dozen investigators and cooperators on the project, has worked with organic agriculture for 10 years and works primarily with soil ecology and soil fertility issues. Principal investigators on the project from MSU include: George Bird, Mark Whalon, Ron Perry and Schwallier. Cooperators from MSU include Larry Gut, Dale Mutch, Harwood, Bridget Behe and Jim Flore. Two Michigan chapters of the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) and Joe Scrimger from Biosystems Inc. will also collaborate on the project.

Organic growers including Ed Rasch, Conklin; Jim Koan, Flushing; Brian Hackert, Ludington; Calvin Lutz, Ludington; Joe Klein, Sparta; Francis Otto, Traverse City; Jim Morse, Sparta and Jane Bush, Grand Ledge will serve as advisors to the project. The growers will help investigators make decisions such as what type of ground cover should be tested on specific plots, according to Ron Perry, tree fruit Extension specialist and professor of horticulture at MSU.

Funding for the project for the first year comes from multiple sources, including a $25,000 special grant from the USDA, $25,000 from MSU’s Agriculture Experiment Station, MSU’s IPM Program, Gerber Food Products, George Bird and Uruguay/INIA Grad Student Support.

“There seems to be a niche market, a growing market for organic fruit,” said Harwood. Sales of U.S. organically grown produce products currently exceed $5 billion annually and the domestic market for organic produce grew 20% each year from 1990-1999, according to project information.

“A lot of organic research will not only benefit organic growers but conventional growers as well,” Harwood said. As conventional growers move toward more assertive IPM practices, the study of organics will provide interesting information from a scientific standpoint, according to Harwood.

Research of this type can produce byproducts and benefits for the non-organic community, according to Perry. “It’s really crucial right now as we see a reduction of pesticides that we’ve become so dependent upon,” said Perry, who is primarily responsible for orchard development during the research and a ground floor/rootstock interactive study.

The five acres at Clarksville, isolated from trials of conventional apples, were previously planted in soybeans. The soil has been in transition to organics for one year. “The soil is outstanding, It’s well drained, sandy loam,” said Perry.

Relatively little is known about the changes in soil quality that take place during the transition from conventional to organic apple systems, according to project information.

During the research project, soil samples will be taken three times per year to check specific rates and temporal characteristics of organic matter mineralization, soil food-web structure, nematode community ecology and carbon/nitrogen budgets. These are all associated with successful organic apple production

After the orchard ground cover and trees have been established, team members will conduct pest anthropod, weed and disease sampling. They will attempt to correlate pest and beneficial flora and fauna occurrence, pheonology and population dynamics with soil, tree and ground cover nutrients.

Researchers want to be able to make recommendations about what rootstocks are best suited for growing organically, according to Perry. In organic fruit production, roostock selection is a key to success in compensating for stresses imposed by insect, pathogen and weed pests.

During the project three different rootstocks representing a weak, medium and strongest level of vigor will be tested, Perry said. The dwarfing rootstocks and their respective vigor include M.9 NAKB337, M.9RN29 and Supporter 4 (similar to M.26 in vigor range), all grown on the vertical axis system. Three ground floor management schemes will be compared including a propane flamer, manufactured by Flame Engineering of Kansas. The flamer heats up to 2000 degree and damages the foliage of weeds, Perry said.

An in-depth MSU fruit school will be offered next January at Clarksville for anyone interested in organic farming. The topic of the school will be “Developing and Managing an Intensive Apple Orchard Using Organic Practices.” The purpose of the organic school is to show that organic growing systems can be learned and adopted by conventional growers.



		Michigan Organic Apple Study Team will Test Growing Theories By Karen Gentry Associate Editor Michigan’s first ever extensive, organic research project with apples has begun at the Clarksville Horticultural Research Station. This new formal organic research and education initiative for apple production and marketing will utilize the expertise of Michigan State University (MSU) and the organic farming community. Five acres of apples have been planted in a research project that should last at least 10 years, according to Phil Schwallier, coordinator of the station. One-third of the acreage is Gold Rush, an apple scab resistant variety for processing and fresh, one-third is Gala for fresh and one-third Golden Delicious for processing. The three varieties will be compared through economic assessment, to try to prove that production of organic apples in an intensive management system is profitable, according to project information. “I think it will be really a great project. In four-five years, we’ll really have a lot of good information on organics,” said Schwallier. Organic growers in Michigan have been experimenting on their own and trying to make it work, said Schwallier. The organic community has mainly used on-farm research and farmer-to-farmer education initiatives. “Certainly the pressure for this has come from the growers. Growers are very much interested in this,” said Dick Harwood, Mott professor of sustainable agriculture at MSU. Harwood, one of a dozen investigators and cooperators on the project, has worked with organic agriculture for 10 years and works primarily with soil ecology and soil fertility issues. Principal investigators on the project from MSU include: George Bird, Mark Whalon, Ron Perry and Schwallier. Cooperators from MSU include Larry Gut, Dale Mutch, Harwood, Bridget Behe and Jim Flore. Two Michigan chapters of the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) and Joe Scrimger from Biosystems Inc. will also collaborate on the project. Organic growers including Ed Rasch, Conklin; Jim Koan, Flushing; Brian Hackert, Ludington; Calvin Lutz, Ludington; Joe Klein, Sparta; Francis Otto, Traverse City; Jim Morse, Sparta and Jane Bush, Grand Ledge will serve as advisors to the project. The growers will help investigators make decisions such as what type of ground cover should be tested on specific plots, according to Ron Perry, tree fruit Extension specialist and professor of horticulture at MSU. Funding for the project for the first year comes from multiple sources, including a $25,000 special grant from the USDA, $25,000 from MSU’s Agriculture Experiment Station, MSU’s IPM Program, Gerber Food Products, George Bird and Uruguay/INIA Grad Student Support. “There seems to be a niche market, a growing market for organic fruit,” said Harwood. Sales of U.S. organically grown produce products currently exceed $5 billion annually and the domestic market for organic produce grew 20% each year from 1990-1999, according to project information. “A lot of organic research will not only benefit organic growers but conventional growers as well,” Harwood said. As conventional growers move toward more assertive IPM practices, the study of organics will provide interesting information from a scientific standpoint, according to Harwood. Research of this type can produce byproducts and benefits for the non-organic community, according to Perry. “It’s really crucial right now as we see a reduction of pesticides that we’ve become so dependent upon,” said Perry, who is primarily responsible for orchard development during the research and a ground floor/rootstock interactive study. The five acres at Clarksville, isolated from trials of conventional apples, were previously planted in soybeans. The soil has been in transition to organics for one year. “The soil is outstanding, It’s well drained, sandy loam,” said Perry. Relatively little is known about the changes in soil quality that take place during the transition from conventional to organic apple systems, according to project information. During the research project, soil samples will be taken three times per year to check specific rates and temporal characteristics of organic matter mineralization, soil food-web structure, nematode community ecology and carbon/nitrogen budgets. These are all associated with successful organic apple production After the orchard ground cover and trees have been established, team members will conduct pest anthropod, weed and disease sampling. They will attempt to correlate pest and beneficial flora and fauna occurrence, pheonology and population dynamics with soil, tree and ground cover nutrients. Researchers want to be able to make recommendations about what rootstocks are best suited for growing organically, according to Perry. In organic fruit production, roostock selection is a key to success in compensating for stresses imposed by insect, pathogen and weed pests. During the project three different rootstocks representing a weak, medium and strongest level of vigor will be tested, Perry said. The dwarfing rootstocks and their respective vigor include M.9 NAKB337, M.9RN29 and Supporter 4 (similar to M.26 in vigor range), all grown on the vertical axis system. Three ground floor management schemes will be compared including a propane flamer, manufactured by Flame Engineering of Kansas. The flamer heats up to 2000 degree and damages the foliage of weeds, Perry said. An in-depth MSU fruit school will be offered next January at Clarksville for anyone interested in organic farming. The topic of the school will be “Developing and Managing an Intensive Apple Orchard Using Organic Practices.” The purpose of the organic school is to show that organic growing systems can be learned and adopted by conventional growers.













Ron Perry, tree fruit Extension specialist from Michigan State University, stands by a Buckeye Gala on M.9 rootstock at MSU’s Clarksville Horticultural Experiment Station. The plantings are a part of an extensive organic research project in Michigan.
The Fruit Growers News website offers a sampling of articles and features from each month. Subscribe to get all the news offered in The Fruit Growers News delivered right to you home! Permission is granted for reprinting material, except for commercial or advertising purposes, provided The Fruit Growers News is given full credit.



	Copyright 2000 Great American Publishing, Inc. The Fruit Growers News 343 South Union Street - PO Box 128 - Sparta, MI 49345 Phone 616-887-9008 - Fax 616-887-2666 - email All Rights Reserved