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Commercial apple production in the Southeast
is concentrated in the Appalachian mountain
regions of Georgia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
More than 60 percent of the approximately
10,000 acres in the region is located in
North Carolina, the country's seventh largest
apple producing state.
The crop is grown for both fresh market and
processing, although in recent years much
of new or replanted acreage has gone to
fresh market production. Fruit is sold
both wholesale and retail through numerous
roadside stands.
The Southeastern
apple industry is supported by a team of
research and extension personnel at North
Carolina State University in the Departments
of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Horticultural
Science. The focus of the Integrated Fruit
Production program is to help ensure the
production of safe and high quality fruit,
develop and implement modern horticultural
and pest management programs, and to prepare
the industry for anticipated changes in regulatory
and marketing programs.
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