Comparative effects of organic and conventional apple orchard management on soil chemical properties and plant mineral content under Mediterranean climate conditions

Abstract

The effects of conventional and organic management systems on soil chemical properties and leaf nutrients under Mediterranean conditions were studied over a 2-year period on adjacent commercial apple orchards in Southern Greece. The soil in both orchards was characterised as a clay loam-clay and was uniform in morphological and physical properties. The results indicated no significant differences in soil chemical properties between the different management systems, including soil organic matter (SOM), pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and C/N ratio. However, soil samples from the conventional orchard exhibited significantly higher values (p< 0.01) of electrical conductivity (EC) and higher concentrations of K, Ca, Na, Cu and Zn, which were likely the result of chemical fertiliser application. Despite the fact that organic systems promote the accumulation of soil organic matter and fertility over time through the use of organic sources, in our study, the SOM values declined, suggesting that the type and the rate of organic matter input in the organic orchard were insufficient. The leaf nutrients, with the exception of P and Ca, were within the sufficiency range in both management systems. The present findings did not provide evidence of major differences in the leaf macronutrient content between conventionally and organically grown apple trees. Nevertheless, our leaf analysis revealed higher concentrations of Zn in the conventionally grown trees and opposite results for Cu, probably due to the extensive use of copper-containing fungicides in organic orchards in Greece.

Effects of decreasing levels of n amendments on organic &#8220;granny smith&#8221; apple trees

“…Regarding leaf mineral concentrations our results are comparable to those reported by Gasparatos et al (2011), who compared effects of organic and conventional apple orchard management on plant mineral content which was not significantly affected by treatments.…”

Evaluation of Economic Efficiency of Apple Orchard Investments

“…Organic farming is increasing in popularity around the world and plays an important role in agriculture [7]; it is seen as an alternative to conventional farming, as well as a solution for sustainable development [8]. Previous studies have not revealed any differences in soil organic matter between conventional and organically grown apples [6].…”

“…Apple growing requires high capital investment [5] and the choice of production system (organic or conventional) has a direct impact on apple orchard productivity [6]. Organic farming is increasing in popularity around the world and plays an important role in agriculture [7]; it is seen as an alternative to conventional farming, as well as a solution for sustainable development [8].…”

Bambara Groundnut Rhizobacteria Antimicrobial and Biofertilization Potential

“…According to Vaněk, Šilha and Němeček [26], it can also be as result of the activities of leguminous crops in which case bambara groundnut is one. The CEC of soil samples in this study (between 15.19 and 21.64 meq/100g) fall within the range of CEC of organically and conventionally managed apple orchard ranging from 19.23 to 20.28 cmol/kg [27], even though no fertilizer or organic manure was applied to bambara groundnut in this study.…”