Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T04:53:54.730Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence of different soil management practices on ground-flora vegetation in an almond orchard

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2015

M. Fracchiolla ,
M. Terzi ,
L. Frabboni ,
D. Caramia ,
C. Lasorella ,
D. De Giorgio ,
P. Montemurro  and
E. Cazzato
M. Fracchiolla*
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
M. Terzi
Affiliation:
Italian National Council of Research—Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, Bari, Italy.
L. Frabboni
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.
D. Caramia
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.
C. Lasorella
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
D. De Giorgio
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Council Research, Unit for Cropping Systems in Dry Environments, Bari, Italy.
P. Montemurro
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
E. Cazzato
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
*
* Corresponding author: mariano.fracchiolla@uniba.it
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper reports a survey on the weed flora and seed bank in an almond orchard sited in Apulia region (Southern Italy), where the following soil management practices have been compared for over 30 yrs: no-tillage, keeping the soil totally weed-free throughout the year by using pre-emergence herbicides to prevent plant emergence or post-emergence herbicides in case of weeds already emerged; no-tillage, with post-emergence herbicides; no-tillage, with mowing of natural weed flora in spring; cover cropping, with faba bean sown in November and green manured in springtime; conventional soil tillage. The different management techniques influenced significantly the weed flora in experimental plots, both in terms of quantity and quality. The seed bank was clearly impoverished after the long-term applications of pre-emergence herbicides, both in terms of richness and of diversity. During the fall period, the plots of conventional tillage or pre-emergence herbicides had less natural ground-flora than the others. During springtime, prior to the sward control practices, the plots treated by foliar herbicides or mowing had the highest total weed cover. We conclude that post-emergence weed control by mowing or using chemical herbicides or the green manure of the cover crop may be proposed to reduce impact to the soil and to promote the growth of abundant and sufficiently diversified and balanced flora. If appropriately managed, this flora can provide potential ecological services, without competing with the orchard, as suggested by the literature. During the autumn, natural flora can uptake soil nitrogen thus preventing leaching in the rainy season. In springtime, after the sward has been destroyed, natural flora can supply a substantial amount of biomass to the soil. Indicator species analysis was also used to find the species characterizing each treatment and some of their combinations. Weeds belonging to the Poaceae botanical family were significantly associated with post-emergence herbicides and mowing treatments. These species produce a substantial amount of biomass and have bunched roots; consequently, they supply beneficial effects by improving porosity and structure of the soil and reducing erosion hazard.

Keywords

almond orchardscover cropdiversitymowingno-tillageweedsherbicides
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , August 2016 , pp. 300 - 308
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, H.D., Randall, R.E., Amable, G.S., and Devereux, B.J. 2006. The impact of changing olive cultivation practices on the ground flora of olive groves in the Messara and Psiloritis regions, Crete, Greece. Land Degradation and Development 17:249–273.Google Scholar
Altieri, M.A. and Letourneau, D.K. 1982. Vegetation management and biological control in agroecosystems. Crop Protection 1(4):405–430.Google Scholar
Bàrberi, P. 2002. Weed management in organic agriculture: Are we addressing the right issues? Weed Research 42:177–193. doi: 10.1046/j.1365–3180.2002.00277.x.Google Scholar
Barberi, P., Burgio, G., Dinelli, G., Moonen, A.C., Otto, S., Vazzana, C., and Zanin, G. 2010. Functional biodiversity in the agricultural landscape: Relationships between weeds and arthropod fauna. Weed Research 50:388–401.Google Scholar
Blackshaw, R.E., Brandt, R.N., Janzen, H.H., Entz, T., Grant, C.A., and Derksen, D.A. 2003. Differential response of weed species to added nitrogen. Weed Science 51(4):532–539.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buhler, D.D. 2002. Challenges and opportunities for integrated weed management. Weed Science 50(3):273–280.Google Scholar
Cantele, A., Zanin, G., and Zuin, M.C. 1996. Semplificazione delle lavorazioni e flora reale e potenziale. Rivista di Agronomia 20(2–3):288–300.Google Scholar
Chauhan, B.S., Singh, R.G., and Mahajan, G. 2012. Ecology and management of weeds under conservation agriculture: A review. Crop Protection 38:57–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clements, D.R., Weise, S.F., and Swanton, C.J. 1994. Integrated weed management and weed species diversity. Phytoprotection 75(1):1–18. Available at Web site http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/706048ar.Google Scholar
Colloff, M.J., Lindsay, E.A., and Cook, D.C. 2013. Natural pest control in citrus as an ecosystem service: Integrating ecology, economics and management at the farm scale. Biological Control 64(2):170–177.Google Scholar
Constantin, J., Mary, B., Laurent, F., Aubrion, G., Fontaine, A., Kerveillant, P., and Beaudoin, N. 2010. Effects of catch crops, no till and reduced nitrogen fertilization on nitrogen leaching and balance in three long-term experiments. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 135(4):268–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conti, F., Abbate, G., Alessandrini, A., and Blasi, C. 2005. An Annotated Checklist of the Italian Vascular Flora. Palombi Editore, Roma.Google Scholar
Corleto, A. and Cazzato, E. 2008a. Adaptation of annual and perennial legumes and grasses utilised as cover crops in an olive grove and a vineyard in Southern Italy. Acta Horticulture (ISHS) 767:89–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corleto, A. and Cazzato, E. 2008b. Effects of different soil management practices on production, quality and soil physico-chemical characteristics of an olive grove in Southern Italy. Acta Horticulture (ISHS) 767(3):19–328.Google Scholar
De Cáceres, M. and Legendre, P. 2009. Associations between species and groups of sites: Indices and statistical inference. Ecology 90:3566–3574.Google Scholar
De Giorgio, D. and Lamascese, N. 2005. Long-term comparison among different soil tillage systems and weed control methods on almond tree growing in southern Italy. In Oliveira, M.M. and Cordeirov, V. (eds). XIII GREMPA Meeting on Almonds and Pistachios. CIHEAM, Zaragoza. p. 257–264 (Options Méditerranéennes: Série A. Séminaires Méditerranéens; n. 63). Available at Web site http://om.ciheam.org/article.php?IDPDF=5600039.Google Scholar
Dufrêne, M. and Legendre, P. 1997. Species assemblages and indicator species: The need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecology Monograph 67:345–366.Google Scholar
Elmore, C.L. 1996. A reintroduction to integrated weed management. Weed Science 44(2):409–412.Google Scholar
Ferrara, G., Fracchiolla, M., Al Chami, Z., Camposeo, S., Lasorella, C., Pacifico, A., Aly, A., and Montemurro, P. 2012. Effects of mulching materials on soil and performance of cv. Nero di troia grapevines in the puglia region, Southeastern Italy. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture 63(2):269–276.Google Scholar
Fracchiolla, M., Caramia, D., Lasorella, C., and Montemurro, P. 2013. Ground cover management strategies in an Apulian oil-producing olive grove: Agronomic and ecological assessment proposals. Advanced Horticultural Science 27(1–2):44–54.Google Scholar
Fried, G., Kazakou, E., and Gabac, S. 2012. Trajectories of weed communities explained by traits associated with species’ response to management practices. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 158:147–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gago, P., Cabaleiro, C., and García, J. 2007. Preliminary study of the effect of soil management systems on the adventitious flora of a vineyard in northwestern Spain. Crop Protection 26(4):584–591.Google Scholar
García-Ruiz, J.M. 2010. The effects of land uses on soil erosion in Spain: A review. Catena 81:1–11.Google Scholar
Gerowitt, B., Bertke, E., Hespelt, S.K., and Tute, C. 2003. Towards multifunctional agriculture—weeds as ecological goods? Weed Research 43(4):227–235.Google Scholar
Hernandez, A.J., Lacasta, C., and Pastor, J. 2005. Effects of different management practices on soil conservation and soil water in a rainfed olive orchard. Agricultural Water Management 77:232–248.Google Scholar
Holland, J.M. 2004. The environmental consequences of adopting conservation tillage in Europe: Reviewing the evidence. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 103:1–25. doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2003.12.018.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marshall, E.J.P., Brown, V.K., Boatman, N.D., Lutman, P.J.W., Squire, G.R., and Ward, L.K. 2003. The role of weeds in supporting biological diversity within crop fields. Weed Research 43:77–89.Google Scholar
Mas, M.T., Poggio, S.L., and Verdù, A.M.C. 2007. Weed community structure of mandarin orchards under conventional and integrated management in northern Spain. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 119:305–310.Google Scholar
McCune, B. and Grace, J.B. 2002. Analysis of Ecological Communities. MjM Software, Gleneden Beach, OR.Google Scholar
McCune, B. and Mefford, M.J. 2011. PC-ORD. Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data. Version 6.0. MjM Software, Gleneden Beach, OR Google Scholar
Minãrro, M. 2012. Weed communities in apple orchards under organic and conventional fertilization and tree-row management. Crop Protection 39:89–96.Google Scholar
Montemurro, P. and Fracchiolla, M. 2013. La gestione della Flora Infestante. In Pisante, M. (ed.). Agricoltura Sostenibile. Edagricole—Edizioni Agricole de Il Sole 24 ORE s.p.a., Bologna, p. 231–247.Google Scholar
Montemurro, P., Castrignanò, A., Cucci, G., and Ferrara, E. 1994. A five-year no-tillage study on a vineyard in Southern Italy: Weed seed bank and soil fertility. In Tei, F. and Onofri, F. (eds). Proceedings of the 5th EWRS Mediterranean Symposium, Perugia, Italy, 6–8 June. Weed control in sustainable agriculture in the Mediterranean area, p. 379–383.Google Scholar
Montemurro, P., Fracchiolla, M., and Guarini, D. 2002. Results of a chemical weed control trial in an oil orchard. Acta Horticulture (ISHS) 586:397–400.Google Scholar
Naylor, R.E.L. and Drummond, C. 2002. Integrated weed management. In Naylor, R.E.L. (ed.). Weed Management Handbook. 9th ed. Published for the British Crop Protection Council by Blackwell Science, Oxford. p. 302–310.Google Scholar
Norris, R.F. 2005. Ecological bases of interactions between weeds and organisms in other pest categories. Weed Science 53:909–913.Google Scholar
Novara, A., Gristina, L., Saladino, S.S., Santoro, A., and Cerda, A. 2011. Soil erosion assessment on tillage and alternative soil managements in a Sicilian Vineyard. Soil and Tillage Research 117:140–147.Google Scholar
Novello, V.P., De Palma, L., and Montemurro, P. 1997. First results of physiological effects of soil management in table grape cv. Italia. In 5th International Symposium on Grapevine Physiology, Jerusalem, Israel, May 25–30.Google Scholar
Ramos, M.E., Benitez, E., Garcia, P.A., and Robles, A.B. 2010. Cover crops under different managements vs. frequent tillage in almond orchards in semiarid conditions: Effects on soil quality. Applied Soil Ecology 44:6–14.Google Scholar
Ramos, M.E., Robles, A.B., Sánchez-Navarro, A., and González-Rebollar, J.L. 2011. Soil responses to different management practices in rainfed orchards in semiarid environments. Soil and Tillage Research 112:85–91.Google Scholar
Roberts, H.A. and Neilson, J.E. 1982. Seed banks of soils under vegetable cropping in England. Weed Research 22(1):13–16.Google Scholar
Saunders, M.E., Luck, G.W., and Mayfield, M.M. 2013. Almond orchards with living ground cover host more wild insect pollinators. Journal of Insect Conservation 17(5):1011–1025.Google Scholar
Simoes, M.P., Belo, A.F., Pinto-Cruz, C., and Pinheiro, A.C. 2014. Natural vegetation management to conserve biodiversity and soil water in olive orchards. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 12(3):633–643. http://dx.doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2014123-5255.Google Scholar
Soriano, M.A., Álvarez, S., Landa, B.B., and Gómez, J.A. 2014. Soil properties in organic olive orchards following different weed management in a rolling landscape of Andalusia, Spain. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 29:83–91. doi: 10.1017/S1742170512000361.Google Scholar
Swanton, C.J. and Murphy, S.D. 1996. Weed science beyond the weeds: The role of integrated weed management (IWM) in agroecosystem health. Weed Science 44(2):437–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zanin, G., Otto, S., Riello, L., and Borin, M. 1997. Ecological interpretation of weed flora dynamics under different tillage systems. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 66:177–188.Google Scholar