THE USE OF FRUIT TREES IN AGROFORESTRY - A CONTRIBUTION TO IMPROVING THE DIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND ITS CULTURAL SERVICES

Abstract

The paper is focused on the use of fruit trees in agroforestry which falls into the category of alternative farming. In the first phase of the assessment, the possibilities of using fruit trees in agroforestry systems were specified with regard to the type of land, especially on arable land and permanent grasslands to which extensive orchards and gardens have also been assigned. While in arable land, linear planting is considered inside or on the edge of soil blocks, in permanent grassland it is mostly scattered planting within plots. In the case of extensive orchards and gardens, it is a combination of linear and scattered plantings. In the second phase, the categorization of soil-climatic conditions of Slovakia was performed from the point of view of the requirements of individual fruit trees. Adapting the choice of fruit trees to habitat conditions is a basic precondition for their planting on arable land or permanent grassland to be beneficial both for increasing the ecological stability of the agricultural land and for diversifying agricultural activities. It should be recalled that weather fluctuations, including the occurrence of longer periods of drought, especially in lowland areas, will significantly determine the real benefits of integrating fruit trees into agroforestry systems. Although habitat conditions allow for a more even distribution of productive cultivation of fruit trees in the form of agroforestry on agricultural land, to factors that also determine the expansion of fruit trees belong tradition, technological equipment, including post-harvest processing of fruit and, of course, supplier-customer relations. The application of agroforestry on agricultural land can also be perceived as a contribution to enhancement of cultural ecosystem services of agricultural land which creates the basic preconditions for agri-tourism development.