HOOD RIVER DISTRICT INTEGRATED
FRUIT PRODUCTION PROGRAM

                                                                                                                        Revised March, 2000

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

            To implement a continually developing program of Integrated Fruit Production (IFP), including growing, packing and marketing pome fruit from the Mid-Columbia region.  To emphasize maintaining the economic health of the industry while using ecologically sound production methods.  This program, through the Hood River Grower-Shipper Association, will be implemented by industry education and include cooperation with similar programs from other regions or entities.

1.        DEFINITION OF INTEGRATED PRODUCTION OF POME FRUITS 
            Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) is defined as the economical production of high quality fruit which gives priority to ecologically sound methods, minimizes side effects and use of agricultural chemicals, thereby protecting the environment and human health.

  2.       PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED, ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SAFETY CONSCIOUS GROWERS 
            Managers of an IFP system need to be trained and have a thorough understanding of the program, both its aims and principles.  Training can be obtained by attending organized courses, reading publications and viewing demonstration plots.  Managers have to recognize that the main thrust of the program is economic production of high quality fruit while choosing practices that are safe and ecologically compatible with our environment.

  3.       SITE, ROOTSTOCKS, CULTIVAR AND PLANTING SYSTEM FOR NEW ORCHARDS 
            For new orchards, site, rootstocks, cultivar and planting system must be selected and harmonized so that regular yields of quality fruit, and hence economic success, can be achieved with the minimum use of agricultural chemicals and environmentally hazardous practices.  Chemical soil sterilization is allowed since there are currently no viable alternatives.  Sites with a favorable aspect and good soils have fewer inputs.  Therefore, frost pockets, poor drainage and shallow non-moisture retentive soils should be avoided.  The cultivar chosen must offer good prospects for economic success with minimal use of agricultural chemicals.  Cultivars resistant to diseases and/or pests are preferred.  Planting material should be sound and certified virus free.  Planting systems may be single or multi-rows, but single rows are preferred.  Small trees of uniform size are the aim for the future so that safer, more efficient spraying practices can be adopted.  Planting distances should allow enough space for the tree throughout its expected life span without severe pruning.

  4.       SOIL MANAGEMENT AND TREE NUTRITION
            The structure, depth, fertility and micro-flora of the soil must be conserved and nutrients and organic matter recycled where possible.  Minimum quantities of fertilizers consistent with high yields of quality fruit may be used only when chemical analysis of soil or plant material shows they are justified.  Risk of polluting ground and surface water with fertilizers, especially nitrates, must be minimized.
                        Soil must be sampled and chemically analyzed prior to planting.  For new orchards, the pH should be corrected before planting.  After planting, plant and soil analyses including pH must be done regularly on a site specific basis to determine nutrient and fertilizer needs.  Records of soil and plant analyses and all nutrient applications should be kept.  Timing and rates of fertilizer applications should correspond to plant requirements.
                        To reduce compaction, avoid driving heavy equipment over saturated soils.  Avoid cultivation practices that induce compaction and/or erosion.  Allow organic matter to remain in the tree row when possible since organic matter helps improve soil structure.  On sloped land, maintain adequate groundcover throughout the orchard to avoid erosion. 

  5.       ALLEYWAYS AND WEED-FREE STRIPS 
            The aims are to maintain plant species diversity in the orchard to promote ecological stability, to minimize the use of herbicides and to avoid soil erosion and compaction in the alleyways.  Because of potential soil erosion, orchards with bare soil are not recommended.  Herbicide application should be made in strips covering not more than 30% of the orchard floor.  It is not necessary to maintain completely weed free strips in the tree row.  It is recommended that, where possible, groundcover is allowed to develop in the weed free strip at times of the year when soil moisture is adequate.  Rotation of herbicides and reduction of total amount of residual herbicides  is recommended after strip establishment.  Use materials with minimum leaching potential.  Mechanical methods of weed control or mulching systems are encouraged.

  6.       IRRIGATION 
            Trees must be supplied with adequate soil moisture to ensure balanced growth and ensure high internal and external fruit quality.  Excessive soil moisture may result in poor fruit quality, leaching of nutrients and increased risk of root rot. Irrigation must be applied according to need.  Need will be established by monitoring soil moisture levels at rooting depths, evapotranspiration rates for the area, and daily rain fall amounts.  Irrigation water must be supplied according to the soil moisture deficit, the water storing capacity of the soil, and infiltration rates.

  7.       ORCHARD HEATING
            Orchard heating systems should be chosen with the goals of minimizing air, soil, and water pollution, and maximizing energy conservation.  Where possible, under-tree and overhead irrigation should be considered as a supplemental heating system.  However, potential problems related to excessive water use, such as soil compaction, nitrogen leaching, and disease must be examined when using water as a heat source.  The use of frost fans is encouraged as another clean and effective method of orchard heating.  Choosing propane rather than diesel as an energy source can minimize the potential for air, soil and water pollution.
                        Bioremediation products are recommended to minimize the impact of heating fuel spills to the soil ecosystem.  Enzymes and bacterial microbes in these products accelerate the break down of petroleum products in the soil.

  8.       TREE TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
            Trees should be managed to achieve a balance between growth and yield.  It is important to have good light penetration to maintain productivity in the lower portions of trees and to produce high quality fruit.  Properly managed trees also help in providing good spray penetration thereby increasing efficiency and efficacy of protective spray materials.  Excessive growth should be controlled by cultural methods such as reducing fertilizer, deficit irrigation, allowing competition of orchard floor cover and/or by summer pruning.

  9.       FRUIT MANAGEMENT
            Where excessive numbers of flowers have pollinated and set during bloom and an excessive crop is likely to result, the young fruitlets must be thinned shortly after bloom to the optimum number to ensure adequate fruit size and quality.  Hand thinning is preferred. Registered chemical thinning agents are permitted on varieties where their use is required for economic production.

  10.     INTEGRATED PLANT PROTECTION
            Priority should be given to biological, cultural, genetic and biotechnical methods of pest, disease and weed control.  The use of agricultural chemicals especially of those with broadspectrum activity should be minimized.  Plant protection products may only be used when justified e.g. when pest populations have exceeded economic threshold levels.  The least disruptive product which is effective against the target pest should be selected.  Products used will be chosen for their efficacy and ecological benefits while minimizing residues.  Products which meet these criteria are identified in the IFP guidelines.
                        Whenever additional control measures are deemed necessary, preference should be given to alternatives to chemical pesticides if available and effective, including biological, cultural, genetic and biotechnical control methods (e.g. pheromone mating disruption for codling moth and other tortricid pests, granulosis virus for codling moth control, Bacillus thuringiensis for leafrollers and noctuid caterpillars, mass trapping of shothole borers etc.).
                        Biological control is an alternative to chemical plant protection products and can contribute significantly to the control of several tree fruit pests (e.g. spider mites, pear psylla, leafminer, aphids, white apple leafhopper).  The aim of an IFP program is to integrate biological control by creating an orchard environment in which natural enemies can survive and be effective.  Populations of key natural enemies (e.g. predatory mites on apple or predatory plant bugs on pear) should be preserved.  Natural enemies (e.g. predatory mites) should be introduced into apple and pear orchards where they are absent.  Populations of insect-eating birds as well as bats should be encouraged by installing nesting boxes or bat houses in or near orchards.
                        Orchard sanitation should be practiced to remove overwintering sources of infestation or infection (e.g. fireblight- or canker-infected wood, shothole borer-infested branches).
                        Horticultural practices (e.g. fertilization, irrigation) should be adjusted to avoid excessive vigor which increases the susceptibility of trees to pests and diseases.  Summer pruning and removal of water sprouts should be encouraged to deprive leaf feeders (e.g. pear psylla, aphids) of a preferred food source and thus reduce their population levels.
                        Populations of insects, mites, vertebrate pests, diseases and weeds should be regularly monitored and recorded.  Scientifically established assessment methods as outlined in the Orchard Pest Management Handbook (available from Good Fruit Grower, Yakima, WA) and similar publications (e.g. Orchard Pest Monitoring Guide for Pears, also available from Good Fruit Grower) should be consulted. For each pest or disease the level of infestation or risk of infection should be estimated.  The decisions as to whether or not a treatment is required should take into account the pest levels, the established economic injury thresholds, the levels of natural enemies, and the weather conditions.  Information about the ground cover such as weed species present, their growth stage, distribution and abundance, should also be taken and recorded.
            Pesticides available locally or nationally which meet the criteria established by the IFP program must be identified on a list of products in the IFP guidelines. 
            The following criteria will be taken into account in placing pesticides into most preferred #1, preferred  #2,  and permitted  #3 classifications (see appendix A).

            Not in weighted order :

            Residue levels on fruit at harvest must not exceed maximum tolerances established by the EPA.   Preferably, longer than legally required day-to-harvest intervals should be used to minimize  residue on fruit at harvest as much as possible.  Growers should use the lowest effective rate to minimize residue. 

11.      EFFICIENT AND SAFE SPRAY APPLICATION METHODS
            One aim of IFP is to reduce the use of agricultural chemicals by applying them as efficiently as possible.  Therefore, sprayers must be regularly serviced and calibrated.  In addition, sprayer output should be matched to the size and shape of the tree.  The volume of canopy (tree-row volume) to be sprayed must be taken into account to avoid spraying too much or too little.
              Growers are strongly urged to adopt strategies that reduce chemical drift.  Spraying in windy conditions should be avoided.  Spraying small droplet sizes should be avoided unless using sprayer technology that reduces drift (tower sprayers, air curtain sprayers, etc.).  Always turn nozzles off at the end of a row.  Where possible, spray only the outside two rows towards the interior of an orchard while driving at a slower speed to improve coverage.
                All possible efforts should be made to reduce the impact of pesticide application on surface and ground water quality.  Loading/mixing/cleaning facilities should be located in an area where run-off cannot carry pesticides into sensitive areas (streams, creeks, and rivers).  Diluted rinse waters from cleaning sprayers should be recycled by applying back into the orchard.  When cleaning the interior of the spray tank, it is suggested that the entire tank be filled with clean water (300-500 gallons) and this dilute solution applied back into the orchard.  Maintain a buffer of vegetation between the orchard and flowing water. 
                 IFP growers are encouraged to select spray systems which operate most efficiently for their orchard plantings.  When planting systems for new orchards are chosen they should be compatible with safer, more efficient spraying methods.

12.      POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS
             This district is committed to supplying high quality fruit for the entire marketing season.  This challenge of maintaining fruit quality for 8-10 months is made possible through many different factors.  These include use of different storage regimes, optimizing fruit nutrient levels, good orchard sanitation, disease prevention programs, harvesting a clean and damage-free crop, use of clean bins and equipment, and use of postharvest products to minimize fruit degradation during storage.  Products used will be chosen for their efficacy and ecological benefits while minimizing residues.  As new technology is developed, its incorporation into fruit quality maintenance programs will help in our efforts to deliver a better product over an extending market.

 13.      HARVESTING, STORAGE AND FRUIT QUALITY 
            Fruit must be harvested at the correct time according to the cultivar and for the purpose intended.  Storage methods must be such as to maintain high internal and external fruit quality.  Storage and refrigeration equipment must be maintained to ensure maximum efficiency and must be regularly monitored to ensure correct operating conditions.  Wherever possible, fruit in storage should be regularly monitored for external and internal condition and firmness. 

14.      ACCREDITATION
            An IFP system should be recognizable and be different from a conventional program while knowing that both are legal and responsible.  The Hood River District IFP Program will track changes in pesticide use  through a standardized spray recording system.  This system will be used for research, to generate information about chemical usage and to determine progress toward our stated goals.
             At this time, the Hood River District IFP Program does not have a certification program for individual growers and orchard operations.  However, growers can obtain certification through a third party organization such as The Food Alliance. (TFA).  Contact the Hood River Grover-Shipper Association office for more information about The Food Alliance and its certification program.

15.      LABELING
            Fruit from Hood River District will be identified on the box or on the fruit by a distinctive logo or label.  The TFA and the Hood River District IFP labels will identify fruit from growers certified by The Food Alliance.