Integrated analysis of Multifunctional Fruit production landscapes to promote ecosystem services and sustainable land-use under climate change (MultiFruit): Approaches and first results of soil sampling campaign

Beginning in 2020 the research of the MultiFruit cluster seeks to optimize food production and the provision of ecosystem services in multifunctional landscapes. Joining agricultural production with the provision of ecosystem services and the preservation of biological diversity, the outcomes of this project aim to provide comprehensive findings to farmers, and the agricultural community as a whole, that are also applicable in the face of climate change. Active apple orchards located in greater Brandenburg, Germany of both organic and conventional management practices have been selected as the sites of research. The present state of organic apple orchards in Germany can best be described as organic “conventionalization”; high yielding orchards with little to no plant diversity, with the major differences being the substitution of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides with organic alternatives certified by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit). The project implements an interdisciplinary approach, with researchers of ecology, economics, soil and microbial sciences. The ecological subproject is investigating how local management measures and the surrounding landscapes affect natural pest control by beneficial insects. The soil group are investigating the toxicological and soil health impacts of conventional and organic practices through analysis of both plant and soil material collected from the orchards. Microbial studies seek to provide information on the microorganisms that promote the growth, health, and performance of fruit trees. The economic studies aim to assess the costs and benefits of management measures and resulting pest control services for fruit growers and society as a whole. The overall expected outcome of this cluster is to maximize ecosystem services provided by the orchards while optimizing yield and maintaining soil and orchard health.  Here we show the preliminary results of the 2021 field campaign related to the soil group. The processed plant and soil material was analyzed at our laboratory and total elemental concentration of all constituents was determined using Microwave assisted MP-AES for select metals and cations (Zn, Cu, Fe, Al, Mg, Ca, K). These results, in conjunction with measured soil properties (pH, EC, Scheibler carbonate measurement, Total N, Total C) aid in the effort to determine the effects of the various management practices on the soil health and the mobility and translocation of metals and cations within the plant tissues.