Organic HURDLES

摘要

Eastern apple growers face barriers that keep organic acreage low. Growing apples in the eastern United States under USDA organic certification standards is not easy, and it's still not clear whether there is much future in it outside of a few niche markets. The recent invasion by the brown marmorated stinkbug poses one more hurdle, a high one, since this fruit feeder is difficult to control even with syn-thetic pesticides and is only minimally deterred by approved organic insecticides such as neem oil and pyrethrums. Weekly applications of Surround (kaolin clay) may be the organic grower's best chance at controlling BMSB. There is a small, solid core ofconsumers who want East Coast organic apples, and researchers from at least six eastern land-grant universities have projects under way to help potential growers overcome production and marketing challenges.