Articles
Impact of innovative orchard floor management strategies using living mulches on apple orchards belowground and soil nutrient status
Article number
1427_30
Pages
223 – 228
Language
English
Abstract
The impact of living mulch grown on the tree row on belowground communities and soil nutrient status was assessed in both just established or mature (9-12 year old) apple orchards.
Different herbal plant species, like: Alchemilla vulgaris, Mentha × piperita and Fragaria vesca or plant mixtures consisting of Trifolium repens and Festuca ovina were tested.
Both short-term and long-term effects were assessed.
The impact of the living mulches was assessed on belowground microorganisms populations using Biolog EcoPlates and 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing as well as on nematodes communities using classical morphological methods.
Living mulches affected soil nutrient availability, bacterial activity and diversity and nematodes trophic communities.
However, the total effect was dependent on the age of the orchard in which the experiment was conducted.
Nevertheless, usually after a certain period of time, despite the positive effect on soil microbial biodiversity, competition for soil resources was observed between the living mulches and the main crop, which sometimes also had a significant impact on the growth and yield potential of the apple trees.
Different herbal plant species, like: Alchemilla vulgaris, Mentha × piperita and Fragaria vesca or plant mixtures consisting of Trifolium repens and Festuca ovina were tested.
Both short-term and long-term effects were assessed.
The impact of the living mulches was assessed on belowground microorganisms populations using Biolog EcoPlates and 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing as well as on nematodes communities using classical morphological methods.
Living mulches affected soil nutrient availability, bacterial activity and diversity and nematodes trophic communities.
However, the total effect was dependent on the age of the orchard in which the experiment was conducted.
Nevertheless, usually after a certain period of time, despite the positive effect on soil microbial biodiversity, competition for soil resources was observed between the living mulches and the main crop, which sometimes also had a significant impact on the growth and yield potential of the apple trees.
Publication
Authors
E.M. Furmanczyk, D. Kozacki, E. Malusà
Keywords
Alchemilla vulgaris, Mentha × piperita, Fragaria vesca, Trifolium repens, row management, sustainability
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