Photo credit: Benketaro

A new study published in Organic Agriculture has found that peach and apple orchards grown under organic management have healthier soils, and plant tissues have more nutrients. Soil samples and leaf samples were collected from peach and apple orchards grown under conventional and organic agriculture for comparison. Results demonstrated higher levels of active fungi bacteria and nutrients in the organic orchard soil, and apples and oranges grown organically had higher levels of phosphorus and copper in their leaf tissues. “Organic fruit production practices harbored both greater microbial activity and higher concentrations of some plant and soil nutrients, and are anticipated to promote better soil health and productivity than conventional practices,” the authors concluded.