Organic and conventional systems of valência oranges cultivation

Abstract

The present paper compares and characterizes the said conventional and organical cultivation systems implanted in july, 2001, in two orchards with a quarter hectar each in which Valência' orange trees were budded on Poncirus trifoliata rootstock, at Centro de Formação de Montenegro - RS. The orchards were installed at the distante of 300 m between them, with spacing among trees of 2,5 m and among tines of 5,5 m. Around each orchard a line of Cameroon grass was planted, as well as a line of Pinus elliotti to protect the trees against winds. In each orchard were applied in five blocks, with 5 trees each, from which were collected preliminary data in relation to growth, fruit bearing and attacks of certain plagues and diseases. The management of the conventional orchard comprehended activities accomplished for convencional system of cultivation of oranges, while organical proces- ses, which were commended by Cooperativa de Citricultores Ecológicos do Vale do Caí (ECOCITROS), were used in the organical system. Tree years after the stablishment of the orchards, we are able to asseverate that in the convencional orchard, trees grcw plus, but they were more suscetible to citrus canker attacks. In organical orchards, fru its bore less and there were no records of citrus canker attacks.