Climate change - Does cherry growing have a future in Franconia?
The cherry cultivation is a delicate matter. A frost night in spring can ruin the harvest just as much as a short hail shower in summer. In addition, there are other non-negotiables related to climate change: Will heavy rain cause more cherries to burst? Are long dry phases a threat? In the Franconian Switzerland, cherry cultivation is more than just a sector of agriculture - it is also a tourist attraction for the region. However, the challenges are great.
You can find out more about this at the Fruit Information Center Franconian Switzerland in Hiltpoltstein. Under the leadership of the Landkreis Forchheim, experiments are being carried out here regarding cherries and plums. The latest test field was planted last autumn, and the Ministry of Agriculture is also involved in the current research project.
Chief Jonas Maußner and his team, for example, are testing new adaptable varieties - ones that bloom later to avoid damage from frost in the spring. They are also investigating how the fruits can best be protected from hail, heavy rain, or sunburn during extreme heat. "Cultural preservation is becoming increasingly important," says Maußner.
Collecting rainwater for dry periods
This also applies to irrigation systems: The Info-Center is currently planning a large water storage facility for water that runs off the roofs - it should then be used for drip irrigation of the trees when needed. "We collect water for dry times." Irrigation systems are not yet widespread among orchard growers in the Franconian Switzerland, Maußner has observed: "The potential is not yet fully exploited."
Despite the challenges posed by the weather, Maußner believes in the future of cherry cultivation in the Franconian Switzerland: It is not as dry here as in Unterfranken, there is less heavy rainfall than at the Bodensee, and the medium-heavy soils can store water well: "The conditions are good." However, there is currently a noticeable generational change among the businesses, many of which are run as a sideline. Not every potential successor wants to sacrifice their free time for cherry cultivation.
Bureaucracy, minimum wage, pests
There are also other obstacles: The administrative effort is great, the minimum wage, and strict regulations regarding plant protection and pest control increase the competitive pressure from foreign suppliers who are often less stringent on the topic of pesticides.
It is important to precisely control the use of plant protection agents - and to reduce their use as much as possible, says Maußner. Biological methods for pest control are also being tested. Currently, aphids are a major problem, they are "very damaging to fruit." Maußner also warns against imported pests: Often, effective means are lacking to combat them.
Mausßer is convinced that younger people can still be motivated to engage in fruit farming in Franconia. He relies on digitalization and mechanization. Work is already being done with sensors to measure soil moisture, for example. A project is currently running to collect information about the yield expectations during drone flights - for example, regarding the expected harvest. "The production must become more efficient," says the expert. "Mechanization will increase." Fruit farming has already advanced here, but there are also opportunities in fruit farming to be less reliant on manual labor - for example, through mechanical pruning machines.
Open-field photovoltaics over fruit trees?
The latest idea on the test farm: A free-standing photovoltaic system, under which fruit trees are supposed to grow. The Agri-PV system is intended to function as protection for the fruits and at the same time provide electricity - for cooling rooms, for example. Mausßer believes that specialty crops such as cherries or apricots are well suited to grow under an Agri-PV system.
With the cherries on the test farm itself, Mausßer and his colleagues had bad luck this year: Total failure due to frost damage in the spring. The same thing happened to some cherry farmers in Bavaria. The Bavarian Statistical Office in Fürth reported disappointing figures only a few days ago. According to a preliminary estimate, the cherry farmers in Bavaria will harvest around 1.93 million kilos of cherries this year - that's 31% less than last year.
The reasons for the poor yield are clear: In the spring, there were frost damages, later came strong rain and hail, and destroyed many fruits. Since cherry farming is so heavily influenced by the weather, the yields fluctuate strongly from year to year.
Famous cherry growing region
Famous for cherry growing is above all the Franconian Switzerland: The region in the tri-city area of Bayreuth-Nuremberg-Forchheim is one of the largest contiguous cherry growing areas in Europe with around 250,000 cherry trees on 25 square kilometers. Another focal point of cultivation is in Unterfranken.
Thomas Riehl from the Association of Franconian Fruit Growers also sees farmers facing numerous challenges: Weather-related influences are not the only problem. Bureaucratic requirements, for example, would cost a lot of time and money. In addition, fewer effective plant protection agents are available.
"The enormous price pressure from parts of the food industry ultimately challenges the profitability of businesses." The development of fruit farming in Franconia, but also in other regions of Germany, depends on how consumers value regional products.
Cherries and other fruits will have to be protected more and more in the future from weather-related risks such as hail or drought: "Fruit farming will become more expensive and labor-intensive. The question of whether regional farming will have a future perspective also depends on political but also social support."
- Despite being a popular tourist attraction in Franconian Switzerland, cherry cultivation faces challenges due to climate change, including concerns about heavy rain and long dry periods affecting the harvest.
- In Lower Franconia, Chief Jonas Maußner and his team are experimenting with new adaptable cherry varieties that bloom later to avoid damage from spring frost.
- To combat water shortages during dry periods, the Fruit Information Center in Hiltpoltstein is planning a large water storage facility for rainwater collected from roofs for drip irrigation.
- Bavaria, like Franconian Switzerland, is a famous cherry-growing region, but cherry farmers in Bavaria faced frost damage in the spring and poor harvests due to hail and heavy rain.
- According to Thomas Riehl from the Association of Franconian Fruit Growers, in addition to weather-related challenges, fruit farmers in Germany face bureaucratic requirements, fewer effective plant protection agents, and price pressure from the food industry.
- The future of fruit farming depends on political and social support, as fruit farming becomes more expensive and labor-intensive due to the need to protect crops from weather-related risks such as hail and drought.
- Under an Agri-PV system, a free-standing photovoltaic system, fruit trees can grow for protection and electricity production, potentially benefiting specialty crops like cherries and apricots in regions like Franconia and Bavaria.
