INFLUENCE OF THE SOIL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ON PEAR GROWING AND PRODUCTION AND ORCHARD WEED FLORA

On a pear (Pyrus communis L.) orchard, ‘General Leclerc’ and ‘Passe Crassane’ varieties grafted on Quince A, planted in 1977 in Montañana (Zaragoza), four soil management systems have been tested along the last 5 years: A) crossed tillage, B) non tillage with bare soil treated with herbicides, C) non tillage with sward in the alleys and treated with herbicides below the trees, D) tillage in the alleys and treated with herbicides below the trees.
In ‘G. Leclerc’ the systems with some herbicides treatment, B, C and D, had a higher average production than the tilled A. In ‘P. Crassane’ less vigorous and later ripening only the production in treatment C was significantly higher than that of treatment A, being that of treatment B the lowest.
The development of soil surface compaction in 1987 showed a lower resistance to penetration in non tillage systems B and C and higher resistance in the tilled plots A and D, where it fluctuated according to the soil moisture.
Weed flora was satisfactorilly controlled by treatments of glyphosate + simazine, remarking the existence of some species well adapted to tillage, mowing and herbicides.
Soil moisture was periodically measured by tensiometers and neutron probe down to 1 m minimum depth, showing differences in the evolution of the soil moisture profile.

V International Symposium on Pear Growing

J. Gomez Aparisi, C. Zaragoza

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1989.256.27