Integrated Fruit Production (IFP): 

 A Status Report 



Craig HoUingsworth 



Department of Entomology, University of Massachusetts 



The International Organization of Biological 

 Control (lOBC) and the International Society for 

 Horticultural Science (ISHS), met in Cedzyna, Po- 

 land in September to discuss the status and ad- 

 vances in Integrated Fruit Production (IFP). Much 

 of the data presented in this report were summa- 

 rized from Jerry Cross' (Scientific Secretary of 

 lOBC/ISHS) presentation on the results of a sur- 

 vey of IFP practices in Europe presented at this 

 meeting. 



Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) is the Euro- 

 pean counterpart to Integrated Pest Management 

 (IPM). IFP is defined by the lOBC as "the economi- 

 cal production of high quality fruit, giving priority 

 to ecologically safer methods, minimizing the un- 

 desirable side effects and use of agrichemicals, to 

 enhance the safeguards to the environment and 

 human health." This definition takes a stronger 

 environmental stance than many of the current 

 definitions of IPM. Some European scientists at 

 the lOBC/ISHS expressed the opinion that IFP-pro- 

 duced fruit was "safer" or "more nutritious" than 

 conventionally produced fi-uit. Given the standards 



of horticulture and pesticide use in certain central 

 European countries, there may be some truth to this 

 suggestion. 



General guidelines for IFP, sometimes referred 

 to as "Euro-guidelines," are developed by represen- 

 tatives from all participating countries, under the 

 guidance of the lOBC/ISHS. Guidelines include 

 expectations for grower training, conserving the 

 orchard environment, planting systems, soil man- 

 agement and tree nutrition, understory manage- 

 ment, irrigation, fruit thinning, and postharvest 

 handling. lOBC guidelines include requirements 

 for record keeping and farm, storage, and packhouse 

 inspections. Certain practices and pesticides (e.g., 

 pyrethroid and organochlorine insecticide and 

 acaricides, persistent herbicides, and sjTithetic plant 

 growth regulators) are not permitted. Other prac- 

 tices or materials (e.g., benzimidazole and 

 dithiocarbmate fungicides and sulfur) are permit- 

 ted with restrictions. Pesticide residue analysis also 

 is recommended. Each participating country or IFP 

 organization uses the lOBC general guidelines to 

 develop appropriate guidelines for their region. 



PRODOTTI NATURA I 



^$110^ 



u f nun* cm u 01 haiux* 



FRITOORICIN.UICONECOR 



Figure 1. Labels for Italian IFP-grown fruit (from Lotta Integrata e Biologica, published 

 by the Ministero per le Risorse Agricole Alimentari e Forestall, Italy). 



14 



Fruit Notes, Fall, 1995 



