Abstract
The aim of this research was to characterise the breeding bird assemblage inhabiting an intensively cultivated, conventional apple orchard in central Poland (51°41′45.1″N, 20°42′08.9″E) and to assess the consequences of this kind of management. The density of birds in such habitats is high, but the species composition is poor. Breeding success was evaluated and habitat parameters were described. The chemicals currently applied do not appear to restrict the species composition of breeding birds. A bigger problem in this context emerges from how the trees are trained and spaced in such an orchard: the crowns are pruned into a small, elongated rectangle and frequently thinned, and the tree density is high. This study is the first one published in Poland that provides definitive evidence of the harmful consequences to breeding birds of intensifying cultivation in apple orchards.
Highlights
Poland is one of the world’s foremost producers of fruit
The present research is a continuation of the project (Chmielewski, 2016, 2019) aimed at assessing the state of the birdlife inhabiting orchards in Mazovia and identifying the threats to it posed by such intensive management
The proportion of apple trees planted in densities of 1600-3199 trees per ha has increased by nearly 20%; more than 43% of all apple orchards have densities of this magnitude (Niszczota, 2018). These changes in management must affect the bird assemblage in intensively cultivated, conventional orchards. Tree crowns in such orchards have been reduced to a small, narrow rectangle in shape
Summary
Poland is one of the world’s foremost producers of fruit. According to FAOSTAT, Poland was one of the leading producers worldwide in 2013 of sour cherries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, apples, raspberries and bilberries (Kierczyńska, 2016). In 2018, the acreage given over to fruit growing in orchards was 243 000 ha, of which 175 000 ha were apple orchards (Niszczota et al, 2019). Between 2012 and 2017 there was a distinct fall in the acreage of apple orchards with trees 15 and more years old (Niszczota, 2018). Polish fruit growers are tending to rejuvenate their orchards and to increase fruit tree density per ha. This change in management approach must affect the qualitative and quantitative structure of the bird assemblages breeding in orchards. The province of Mazovia (Mazowsze), where Polish apple production is concentrated (45.6% of the orchard acreage there), has not been investigated in this respect. The present research is a continuation of the project (Chmielewski, 2016, 2019) aimed at assessing the state of the birdlife inhabiting orchards in Mazovia and identifying the threats to it posed by such intensive management
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