scholarly journals Comparing Mulches, Herbicides, and Cultivation as Orchard Groundcover Management Systems

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.A. Merwin ◽  
D.A. Rosenberger ◽  
C.A. Engle ◽  
D.L. Rist ◽  
M. Fargione
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Polyester Fabric ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Wood Chips ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Polypropylene Film ◽  
Recycled Paper ◽  
Hudson Valley ◽  
Market Values

Natural (hay, wood chips, recycled paper pulp) and synthetic (polypropylene film and polyester fabric) mulches were compared with mechanical tillage and residual herbicides as orchard groundcover management systems (GMSS). In two New York orchards-the Clarke farm and Hudson Valley Lab (HVL—GMSS were applied from 1990 to 1993 in 1.8-m-wide strips under newly planted apple (Malus domestica; `Liberty', `Empire', `Freedom', and advanced numbered selections from the disease-resistant apple breeding program at Geneva, N.Y.) trees. GMS impacts on soil fertility, tree nutrition and growth, yields, crop value, and vole (Microtus spp.) populations were evaluated. After 3 years at the Clarke orchard, extractable NO3, Mn, Fe, B, and Zn concentrations were greater in soil with herbicides than synthetic mulches; soil K and P concentrations were greater with herbicides and wood chips than synthetic mulches. At the HVL orchard, topsoil NO3, K, and Mg concentrations were greater with hay mulch than herbicides or other mulches; Mg, Fe, and B concentrations were lower in soil with wood chips than other GMSs. Soil organic matter content was not affected by GMS. Apple leaf N, K, Cu, and Zn concentrations were greater with herbicides, hay mulch, and polypropylene mulch than cultivation or recycled paper mulch at the HVL orchard during hot, dry Summer 1991. Despite transient differences among GMSS during the initial years, after 4 years of treatments there were no consistent GMS trends in cumulative tree growth or gross yields. The higher establishment and maintenance costs of several mulches were offset by their prolonged efficacy over successive years; crop market values from 1992 to 1994 were considerably greater for trees with polypropylene film, polyester fabric, and hay mulches than herbicides, cultivation, or other mulches. Voles caused more serious damage to trees in synthetic and hay mulches, despite the use of mesh trunk guards and rodenticide bait.

scholarly journals Microbiological and faunal soil attributes of coffee cultivation under different management systems in Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 894-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Lammel ◽  
L. C. B. Azevedo ◽  
A. M. Paula ◽  
R. D. Armas ◽  
D. Baretta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Tropical Soils ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Biological Parameters

Abstract Brazil is the biggest coffee producer in the world and different plantation management systems have been applied to improve sustainability and soil quality. Little is known about the environmental effects of these different management systems, therefore, the goal of this study was to use soil biological parameters as indicators of changes. Soils from plantations in Southeastern Brazil with conventional (CC), organic (OC) and integrated management systems containing intercropping of Brachiaria decumbens (IB) or Arachis pintoi (IA) were sampled. Total organic carbon (TOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN), microbial activity (C-CO2), metabolic quotient (qCO2), the enzymes dehydrogenase, urease, acid phosphatase and arylsulphatase, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization and number of spores and soil fauna were evaluated. The greatest difference between the management systems was seen in soil organic matter content. The largest quantity of TOC was found in the OC, and the smallest was found in IA. TOC content influenced soil biological parameters. The use of all combined attributes was necessary to distinguish the four systems. Each management presented distinct faunal structure, and the data obtained with the trap method was more reliable than the TSBF (Tropical Soils) method. A canonic correlation analysis showed that Isopoda was correlated with TOC and the most abundant order with OC. Isoptera was the most abundant faunal order in IA and correlated with MBC. Overall, OC had higher values for most of the biological measurements and higher populations of Oligochaeta and Isopoda, corroborating with the concept that the OC is a more sustainable system.

scholarly journals Chemical and Physical Properties of Soil Amended with Pecan Wood Chips

HortScience ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 891-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed B. Tahboub ◽  
William C. Lindemann ◽  
Leigh Murray
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Wood Chip ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Wood Chips ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Application Rates

The pruning wood of pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] is often burned. Chipping and soil incorporation of pruning wood is becoming more popular as a result of environmental constraints on burning. The objective of our research was to determine how pecan wood incorporation into soil affects the soil chemical and physical properties. Pecan wood chips were incorporated into a silty clay soil at rates of 0, 4484, 8968, 13,452, and 17,936 kg·ha−1 in Summer 2002, 2003, and 2004. Some plots received nitrogen at a rate of 0, 15.2, 30.5, 45.7, and 61.0 kg·ha−1 to adjust the C : N ratio of trimmings to 30 : 1. Ammonium sulfate, as a nitrogen source to balance the C : N ratio of pecan wood chips, reduced soil pH. However, the wood chip amendments alone did not reduce soil pH. Soil salinity (as determined by electrical conductivity) and bulk density were unaffected by wood chip incorporation regardless of application rate or number of applications. Incorporation of pecan chips had little effect on soil moisture content, but the soil had an inherently high waterholding capacity. Pecan wood chip incorporation significantly increased soil organic matter content and aggregate stability, particularly at the higher application rates and with repeated amendment. The incorporation of pecan pruning wood into the soil appears to improve soil tilth and aggregation while providing growers with an environmentally acceptable means of disposal.

Survival and energy use of Ixodes scapularis nymphs throughout their overwintering period

Parasitology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 146 (6) ◽  
pp. 781-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Burtis ◽  
Timothy J. Fahey ◽  
Joseph B. Yavitt
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
New York State ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Physiological Age ◽  
Soil Organic Matter Content ◽  
Host Mortality

AbstractThe blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) spends up to 10 months in the soil between feeding as larvae and questing for hosts as nymphs the following year. We tracked the survival and energy use of 4320 engorged larvae evenly divided across 288 microcosms under field conditions from September to July on sites with high (>12 nymphs/150 m2) and low (<1.2 nymphs/150 m2) densities of naturally questing I. scapularis in New York State. Subsets of microcosms were destructively sampled periodically during this period to determine tick survivorship and physiological age. Across all sites tick mortality was low during the winter and increased in the spring and early summer, coincident with increasing energy use. Neither energy use nor mortality differed significantly between sites with high vs low natural tick density, but we did observe a significant positive relationship between soil organic matter content and the survival of I. scapularis during the spring. Our results suggest that the off-host mortality and energy use of I. scapularis nymphs is relatively low in the winter and increases significantly in the spring and early summer.

Soil organic matter content and chemical composition under two rotation management systems in a Mediterranean climate

Pedosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 903-911
Author(s):  
Carlo ANGELETTI ◽  
Elga MONACI ◽  
Beatrice GIANNETTA ◽  
Serena POLVERIGIANI ◽  
Costantino VISCHETTI
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Soil Organic Matter Content

scholarly journals Examining the Quality of a Compost Product Derived from Sargassum

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-336
Author(s):  
Kevin T. Walsh ◽  
Tina M. Waliczek
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Wood Chips ◽  
Beach Sand ◽  
Fish Waste ◽  
Industry Standards ◽  
Beach Communities ◽  
Analytical Services

The free-floating algae known as sargassum (Sargassum fluitans and Sargassum natans) drifts onto coastlines throughout the Atlantic Ocean during spring and summer months. Beach communities seek to maintain tourist appeal and, therefore, remove or relocate the sargassum drifts once it collects on shore. Maintenance efforts have attempted to incorporate the sargassum into dunes and beach sand. However, not all communities have the resources to manage the biomass and must dispose of it in a landfill. The utility of the seaweed biomass as a fertilizer for plant growth has been renowned for centuries. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the appropriate proportion of sargassum for other compost ingredients used in a large-scale composting system to create a quality product for utilization in horticultural and/or agricultural products. This study used ≈32 yard3 of sargassum as part of 96 yard3 of compost material that also included food waste, fish waste, and wood chips. Four protocols were prepared and included either 25% or 41.5% sargassum and various proportions of food or fish waste and wood chips, which are ingredients that would be readily available in coastline communities, to determine the ideal ratios of materials to create a quality compost. Piles were turned regularly and monitored for pH, moisture, and temperatures according to compost industry standards and approximately every 5 to 7 days. Piles cured for 4 to 8 weeks and the entire composting process lasted 5 months. Samples of compost were collected and tested through the Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory’s U.S. Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Approval Program at Pennsylvania State University. All final compost products and protocols had reasonable quality similar to those required by current compost standards. However, the protocol incorporating equal parts sargassum (41.5%) and wood chips (41.5%), fish waste (4%), and food waste (13%) had the best results in terms of organic matter content and overall nutrient levels. Therefore, this study determined that waste management industries can use sargassum as a feedstock through a large-scale composting system to create a desirable compost product that could be used in the horticulture industries. Sargassum could also be composted and then returned to the shoreline, where it would help build soils and vegetation.

scholarly journals 073 A COMPARISON OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC MULCHES WITH CONVENTIONAL ORCHARD-FLOOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 438d-438
Author(s):  
Ian Merwin ◽  
Dave Rosenberger ◽  
Cathy Engle
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Fruit Yield ◽  
Wood Chips ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Hudson Valley ◽  
Orchard Floor Management ◽  
Residual Herbicide ◽  
Microtus Spp ◽  
Considerable Damage

In several northeastern USDA Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture (LISA) projects, we compared natural (hay-straw, wood-chips, recycled newspaper pulp) and synthetic (polypropylene films and polyester fabrics) mulch materials with mowed sodgrass, tillage, and residual herbicides, as orchard groundcover management systems (GMS). Treatments were applied in 2m-wide strips under newly planted apple (Malus domestica cvs. Liberty, Empire, Freedom. and others) trees on MARK rootstock, planted at 3 by 5m spacing, in 1990. Edaphic, economic, tree nutritional and fruit yield impacts of these GMS were evaluated for four years in five Hudson Valley orchards. All the mulches cost more to establish and maintain ($450 to 4500/ha) than mowed sod ($150/ha), tillage ($120/ha), or residual herbicide ($50/ha) systems. There were few differences in soil water or nutrient availability, leaf nutrient content, tree growth or fruit yield in the mulch systems compared with herbicide or tillage GMS. Meadow voles (Microtus spp.) caused considerable damage to trees in the synthetic and straw mulches, despite the use of trunk guards. Wood-chips were the most enduring, least expensive, and most effective natural mulch. There were insufficient short-term benefits to offset the greater costs of synthetic mulch fabrics or films, in comparison with conventional herbicide snip systems for orchard floor management.

scholarly journals Aggregates morphometry in a Latosol (Oxisol) under different soil management systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Eloize Carducci ◽  
Antônio Carlos Tadeu Vitorino ◽  
Milson Evaldo Serafim ◽  
Erika Andressa da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Soil Aggregates ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Structural Quality ◽  
Water Dispersible ◽  
Aggregate Morphology ◽  
Physical Attributes

Changes in soil physical properties are inherent in land use, mainly in superficial layers. Structural alterations can directly influence distribution, stability and especially morphometry of soil aggregates, which hence will affect pore system and the dynamic process of water and air in soil. Among the methods used to measure these changes, morphometry is a complementary tool to the classic methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate structural quality of a Latosol (Oxisol), under different management systems, using morphometric techniques. Treatments consisted of soil under no-tillage (NT); pasture (P), in which both had been cultivated for ten years, and an area under native vegetation (NV – Savannah like vegetation). Aggregates were sampled at depths of 0-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m, retained on sieves with 9.52 – 4.76 mm, 4.76 – 1.0mm, 1.0 – 0.5mm diameter ranges. Aggregate morphometry was assessed by 2D images from scanner via QUANTPORO software. The analyzed variables were: area, perimeter, aspect, roughness, Ferret diameter and compactness. Moreover, disturbed samples were collected at the same depths to determine particle size, aggregate stability in water, water-dispersible clay, clay flocculation index and organic matter content. It was observed that different soil management systems have modified soil aggregate morphology as well as physical attributes; and management effects’ magnitude increased from NT to P.

scholarly journals (162) Multi-level Comparisons of Organic (OFP) and Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) Systems for `Liberty' Apple in a New York Orchard

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1032D-1032
Author(s):  
Gregory Peck ◽  
Ian M. Merwin ◽  
Emily Vollmer ◽  
Kristine Averill
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
First Year ◽  
Maturity Indices ◽  
Integrated Fruit Production ◽  
Harvest Maturity

Apple growers in New York lack the tools to produce high quality fruit for the organic or IFP marketplace. We are systematically evaluating OFP and IFP systems for pest control efficacy, fruit and soil quality, environmental impacts, and economic sustainability, in an orchard of disease-resistant `Liberty' on M.9 rootstock. The OFP system follows USDA-NOP standards and the IFP system follows newly developed NY IFP standards. In the first year of this study (2004), both systems were equally productive, but variable costs for OFP were twice that of IFP, due to 11 kaolin applications, while returns were comparable. In 2005, OFP yields were 25% greater than IFP yields, but 30% of OFP fruit was unmarketable largely due to insect damage. This loss, plus small fruit size, resulted in OFP returns of $5432 per hectare, about half the IFP returns. With only four kaolin applications in 2005, OFP costs were $2437 per hectare, marginally greater than the $2083 per hectare costs for IFP apples. Harvest maturity indices were similar and peak fruit quality was attained in both systems in early Oct. In 2004, consumer panelists could not detect differences between fruit from the two systems, but in 2005 panelists rated OFP apples as sweeter, more tart, better flavored, and more acceptable overall. Antioxidant activity, total phenolics concentrations, and mineral content of apples were similar between systems in both years. Values for all essential plant nutrients, organic matter content, pH, and CEC were also equivalent in each system both years. Cultivation was likely responsible for lowering the bulk density, soil strength, and aggregate stability of the OFP top soil in 2005. While OFP remains very challenging, IFP can be implemented successfully in New York orchards.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document