Successes and challenges with organic apple production in Arkansas

An organic pest management program was implemented in three apple orchards in Arkansas. Tactics used included: attract-and-kill of plum curculio in April with baited perimeter trees sprayed twice weekly with Pyganic in orchards with or without interior trees white-washed with Surround; codling moth and oriental fruit moth management with early and late season sprays of Entrust, Cyd-X or Bt coupled with mid-season pheromone-based mating disruption; Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman) damage prevention in July by maintaining trees white-washed with Surround; and augmentative release of predatory mites (Amblyseius fallacis) as needed. Fruit and foliar damage estimates were made after each pest generation of codling moth, oriental fruit moth, and leaf rollers and compared plum curculio fruit damage on perimeter baited trees versus adjacent and interior trees. I will summarize the successful organic pest management practices and those that need additional research.