Organic Bramley apple production 2008

Following a reasonable start to the 2008 season and a good fruit set, growing conditions became very difficult with low light levels, low temperatures and excessive rainfall. The overall effect was the production of a bumper crop of relatively small apples. Disease pressures remained high throughout the summer making organic production very difficult.

For the first time, it was decided to apply an organic spray regime within the agrochemical trialling programme. There are only two allowed treatments – copper and sulphur. Since it is less damaging to the environment, a spray programme of sulphur was applied – 6 KG/ha to blossom and 4 KG/ha after blossom. This treatment was compared against a full scab protection programme.

The results are shown in table 1 below.

Table 1. Comparison between a full chemical spray programme and an organic spray programme on the quality and quantity of Bramley apples during 2008.

In a normal season less than ten percent of apples would be unmarketable due to scab after a full chemical spray programme. The figure of 21 percent in table 1 illustrates just how wet and difficult 2008 was even with full scab protection. The data for the organic treatment illustrates that sulphur does not work under these environmental conditions.

Yield and fruit quality were severely compromised and commercially the crop failed. Unfortunately this means that experimentation this coming season will have to focus on the use of copper for disease control on Bramley’s.

On a happier note, the AFBI Horticulture trial site is now a fully registered organic research site.

Propagation of apple varieties from the heritage collection onto organic rootstocks is continuing and these varieties will be trialled under organic conditions into the future (Figure 1).

In addition, new test varieties from the European breeding programmes will also be evaluated for organic potential on the site.