ABSTRACT
Growing organic apples in Europe Jutta Kienzle, Independent Researcher, Germany; and Markus Kelderer, Research Station of Laimburg, Italy
1 Introduction
2 Developing varieties and rootstocks suited to organic farming (OF) systems
3 Improving soil fertility management
4 Strategies for improving plant health care: pest and disease control, regulation of crop set and tree growth
5 Strategies for improving ecosystem services
6 Case studies
7 Future trends in research
8 Where to look for further information
9 References
1.1 Organic fruit production Organic agriculture (OA) or organic farming (OF) can be defined as a sustainable holistic farming system that includes the whole food processing chain from farmer to consumer. Private organic associations (under the international umbrella organization IFOAM www. ifoam.bio) and also the legislation for OF in Europe (Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007) cover the production and processing sector, and there is a specialized and well-labelled market segment for organic products. Four principles best define the ethical values of OA expressed by IFOAM: health, ecology, fairness and care (for more information, see https://www.ifoam.bio/en/organic-landmarks/principles-organic-agriculture). The main principle of OF systems in EC Regulation 834/2007 is specified as the appropriate design and management of biological processes based on ecological systems using natural resources that are internal to the system. Where ‘off-farm’ inputs are really needed, these are restricted to inputs from organic production, natural or naturally derived substances, and low-solubility mineral fertilizers. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products produced from or by GMOs are incompatible with the concept of organic production.
