I am currently developing a research project focusing on multifunctional living mulch systems in pear (Pyrus communis L.) orchards, aiming to evaluate their agroecological, physiological and molecular impacts in an integrated framework.

The core idea is to establish a non-competitive living mulch composed of low-growing native species from at least seven different plant families, representing the natural flora of the orchard floor. This design explicitly goes beyond single- or few-species cover approaches by testing functional plant diversity as a driver of resilience and ecosystem services.

Within this framework, the project will assess:

Tree-level responses:
Morphological and physiological traits of pear trees, including vegetative growth, photosynthetic efficiency, water relations, and yield-related parameters.

Fruit quality and nutrition:
Changes in organic compounds and mineral nutrient composition of fruits under diversified living mulch conditions.

Molecular responses:
Time-resolved transcriptomic analyses to identify differentially expressed genes associated with nutrient uptake, stress signaling, and plant–soil–microbe interactions.

Soil transformation processes:
Long-term changes in soil organic matter, water holding capacity, and microbial community structure and function, analyzed at the metagenomic scale.

I am seeking partners with complementary expertise to jointly address Agroecology call subtopics, particularly those related to:

biodiversity-based cropping systems,

soil–plant–microbiome interactions,

resilience and sustainability of perennial agroecosystems,

and the integration of multi-omics approaches into field-scale experiments.

Potential collaborators may include research groups working on soil microbiology and metagenomics, plant transcriptomics, functional biodiversity, eco-physiology, or systems-level data integration. The project is open to both methodological and conceptual co-development within a shared consortium structure.

I am based at Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology with a strong background in field-based experimental design and plant response analysis in annual and perennial horticultural systems.

Within this project, my main contributions include:

Designing and implementing a statistically robust orchard experiment, ensuring long-term reproducibility and relevance under real production conditions.

Establishing and managing the living mulch treatments in a pear orchard, with precise control of spatial layout and temporal sampling.

Monitoring tree morphological and physiological responses, including photosynthetic efficiency, as well as fruit organic and mineral composition, using standard and advanced analytical approaches.

Coordinating frequent and structured sampling for transcriptomic analyses to capture dynamic plant responses rather than single time-point snapshots.

Integrating agronomic, physiological and molecular datasets to link aboveground tree performance with belowground ecological processes.

My research approach emphasizes applied agroecology, combining ecological theory, omics-based tools, and orchard-scale experimentation. The overarching goal is to contribute to the development of diversified, resilient and knowledge-intensive orchard systems that reduce external inputs while enhancing ecosystem functions.