Relationship in the production chain of apple in the perspective of complexity theory

This work was built from the necessity of understanding how relationships occur between members of the apple production chain to propose mechanisms that can assist in improving the inter-relationships. Thus, the ring tetralogical approach was used in the identification of actions arising from the implementation of IPM (integrated pest management) in the apple production chain in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. This is a qualitative research, operationalized through a case study which was conducted from interviews with expert members of the Brazilian apple production chain. Data analysis provided evidence of the results as: identification of the ring tetralogical concepts in the implementation of the integrated production of apple, verification of the supply chain strategies used by apple as a guiding system and the presence of relationships in the actions and attitudes they bring to the system. As such, they need to work towards the behavior of cooperation and teamwork, besides the necessity of a reorganization aimed at achieving the certification process by the link wholesalers and retailers, as well as consumer awareness to end the requirement quality control at the time of purchase.