Effect of sustainable management of olive tree residues on soil fertility in irrigated and rain-fed olive orchards

Olive trees are a major source of agricultural residues. Strategies based on different management of organic amendments have been reported to increase soil fertility. The effect of sustainable organic matter input practices (application of shredded pruning residue and olive residue compost to soil)...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of water and climate change 2018-12, Vol.9 (4), p.764-774
Main Authors: Kavvadias, V., Papadopoulou, M., Vavoulidou, E., Theocharopoulos, S., Koubouris, G., Psarras, G., Manolaraki, Chr, Giakoumaki, G., Vasiliadis, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural practices
Aridity
Biomass
Carbon
Carbon sequestration
Composting
Composts
Conservation
Conservation practices
Conservation tillage
Crop residues
Crops
Fertility
Fruit trees
Irrigated farming
Irrigation
Mineral nutrients
Nitrogen
Nutrients
Orchards
Organic materials
Organic matter
Organic soils
Plant cover
Productivity
Pruning
Quality
Rain
Residues
Respiration
Soil
Soil conservation
Soil erosion
Soil fertility
Soil improvement
Soil investigations
Soil management
Soil nutrients
Soil organic matter
Soil properties
Soil sciences
Soil surfaces
Soil testing
Sustainability
Sustainability management
Tillage
Trees
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Olive trees are a major source of agricultural residues. Strategies based on different management of organic amendments have been reported to increase soil fertility. The effect of sustainable organic matter input practices (application of shredded pruning residue and olive residue compost to soil) on soil properties in irrigated and rain-fed olive groves was investigated. The study took place in 40 olive groves in the region of Peza, island of Crete, Greece during a 5-year period (2012–2017). The results showed that olive trees play an important role in soil nutrient conservation under semi-arid conditions in the Mediterranean basin. The addition of olive tree residues, in combination with conservation tillage practices, improved soil fertility over the experimental period. Most of the soil properties were favored by irrigation. In olive soil parcels receiving organic materials the soil organic matter and the total nitrogen were increased in irrigated fields. The ability of surface soil to sequester carbon and nutrients beneath the tree canopy of olive groves was high. It is recommended that sustainable soil management practices should consider soil fertility variability of olive orchards.
ISSN:2040-2244
2408-9354
DOI:10.2166/wcc.2018.143