Particular Aspects of Fruit Farming in the Southeast of Poiana Ruscă Mountains

Abstract

Alike some other territories in Transylvania, the area of Poiana Ruscă Mountains has been cultivated with fruit trees and vines, benefiting from favourable morphological, soil and climatic conditions. The purpose of our paper was to highlight the particularities of this representative occupation carried out by the local communities in the analyzed area. Through cartographic reconstructions we observed the diachronic evolution of the areas occupied with orchards and the valorisation and management of fruit products. Results confirmed that, despite the significant decline in fruit farming, the abandonment of orchards or the disappearance of nurseries, we can still find some local initiatives encouraging the practice of fruit growing.

Keywords

• Poiana Ruscă Mountains, fruit farming, Haţeg Depression, orchards, cartographic representations