Organic apple production in New York has remained small due to intense disease and insect pest management challenges. Additionally, options for thinning apple crops are limited in organic production systems, with hand thinning one of the only options available to growers.

The objectives of this project were to:

1. Develop an integrated, sustainable arthropod pest management system that will allow the production and marketing of certified organic apples.
2. Develop alternative chemical fruit thinning approaches for use in certified organic apple orchards that will result in annual cropping and large fruit size.
3. Develop alternative weed control approaches for use in certified organic apple orchards that will result in similar tree growth, yield, fruit size and leaf nutrient levels as conventional herbicides.