Different Floor Management Systems Affect Soil Properties and Initial Development of Apple Tree (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) in an Orchard
In order to achieve sustainable food production, non-chemical weed management practices need to be developed for fruit growing. Tailor-made floor management systems enable efficient weed regulation, but they also affect the soil quality in an orchard. In this article, the effects of various floor ma...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/12/2070 |
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| author | Sebastian Przybyłko Ewa Szpadzik Jacek Marszał Wojciech Kowalczyk Dariusz Wrona |
| author_facet | Sebastian Przybyłko Ewa Szpadzik Jacek Marszał Wojciech Kowalczyk Dariusz Wrona |
| author_sort | Sebastian Przybyłko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In order to achieve sustainable food production, non-chemical weed management practices need to be developed for fruit growing. Tailor-made floor management systems enable efficient weed regulation, but they also affect the soil quality in an orchard. In this article, the effects of various floor management systems in a ‘Red Jonaprince’ apple (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) orchard on the soil properties and the trees’ nutritional status and initial development during the first two years after the orchard’s establishment were assessed. The experiment was set up in the spring of 2017 in the Experimental Orchard of WULS. ‘Red Jonaprince’ cv. trees grafted on M.9 rootstock were planted with 3.5 × 1 m spacing between them. Different floor management systems were applied to the rows, including the selected organic mulches: <i>Miscanthus</i> × <i>giganteus</i> straw (MG1 and MG2), spent mushroom substrates (SMS1 and SMS2), herbicide strip (HS), clear mechanical soil cultivation (MC), and synthetic black mulch (BC). The organic mulches affected the soil properties significantly. Spent mushroom substrates (SMS1, SMS2) increased the P and K contents in the soil, increased the salinity 10-fold, and retarded the growth in terms of the trunk cross-section area (TCSA) and its increment compared with other systems. <i>Miscanthus</i> × <i>giganteus</i> straw mulch (MG1, MG2) was associated with a more vigorous shoot growth compared with other combinations in the first year of the study as it provided a better tree nitrogen nutritional status. The floor management system affected the generative development of the trees. Mulching with a spent mushroom substrate boosted the flower bud formation intensity, but it did not affect the yielding quantity. Moreover, due to the poor fruit set, the trees mulched with a spent mushroom substrate (SMS2) gave a low initial bearing. High crop loads were noted for the trees treated with black synthetic mulch (BC) and the trees mulched with <i>Miscanthus</i> × <i>giganteus</i> straw (MG1). This was an effect of the tree size rather than the blooming intensity, while there were no differences in the cropping efficiency index (CEI) parameter. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:26:58Z |
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| id | doaj.art-71474fdff5ff42efa0a0eddfa4039dee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
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| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:26:58Z |
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| spelling | doaj.art-71474fdff5ff42efa0a0eddfa4039dee2023-11-24T12:40:50ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722022-12-011212207010.3390/agriculture12122070Different Floor Management Systems Affect Soil Properties and Initial Development of Apple Tree (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) in an OrchardSebastian Przybyłko0Ewa Szpadzik1Jacek Marszał2Wojciech Kowalczyk3Dariusz Wrona4Department of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 Str., 02-787 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 Str., 02-787 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 Str., 02-787 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 Str., 02-787 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Pomology and Horticulture Economics, Institute of Horticultural Sciences SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 Str., 02-787 Warsaw, PolandIn order to achieve sustainable food production, non-chemical weed management practices need to be developed for fruit growing. Tailor-made floor management systems enable efficient weed regulation, but they also affect the soil quality in an orchard. In this article, the effects of various floor management systems in a ‘Red Jonaprince’ apple (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) orchard on the soil properties and the trees’ nutritional status and initial development during the first two years after the orchard’s establishment were assessed. The experiment was set up in the spring of 2017 in the Experimental Orchard of WULS. ‘Red Jonaprince’ cv. trees grafted on M.9 rootstock were planted with 3.5 × 1 m spacing between them. Different floor management systems were applied to the rows, including the selected organic mulches: <i>Miscanthus</i> × <i>giganteus</i> straw (MG1 and MG2), spent mushroom substrates (SMS1 and SMS2), herbicide strip (HS), clear mechanical soil cultivation (MC), and synthetic black mulch (BC). The organic mulches affected the soil properties significantly. Spent mushroom substrates (SMS1, SMS2) increased the P and K contents in the soil, increased the salinity 10-fold, and retarded the growth in terms of the trunk cross-section area (TCSA) and its increment compared with other systems. <i>Miscanthus</i> × <i>giganteus</i> straw mulch (MG1, MG2) was associated with a more vigorous shoot growth compared with other combinations in the first year of the study as it provided a better tree nitrogen nutritional status. The floor management system affected the generative development of the trees. Mulching with a spent mushroom substrate boosted the flower bud formation intensity, but it did not affect the yielding quantity. Moreover, due to the poor fruit set, the trees mulched with a spent mushroom substrate (SMS2) gave a low initial bearing. High crop loads were noted for the trees treated with black synthetic mulch (BC) and the trees mulched with <i>Miscanthus</i> × <i>giganteus</i> straw (MG1). This was an effect of the tree size rather than the blooming intensity, while there were no differences in the cropping efficiency index (CEI) parameter.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/12/2070floor management systemnon-chemical weed controlmulchsoil qualitytree developmentinitial bearing |
| spellingShingle | Sebastian Przybyłko Ewa Szpadzik Jacek Marszał Wojciech Kowalczyk Dariusz Wrona Different Floor Management Systems Affect Soil Properties and Initial Development of Apple Tree (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) in an Orchard Agriculture floor management system non-chemical weed control mulch soil quality tree development initial bearing |
| title | Different Floor Management Systems Affect Soil Properties and Initial Development of Apple Tree (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) in an Orchard |
| title_full | Different Floor Management Systems Affect Soil Properties and Initial Development of Apple Tree (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) in an Orchard |
| title_fullStr | Different Floor Management Systems Affect Soil Properties and Initial Development of Apple Tree (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) in an Orchard |
| title_full_unstemmed | Different Floor Management Systems Affect Soil Properties and Initial Development of Apple Tree (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) in an Orchard |
| title_short | Different Floor Management Systems Affect Soil Properties and Initial Development of Apple Tree (<i>Malus</i> × <i>domestica</i> Borkh.) in an Orchard |
| title_sort | different floor management systems affect soil properties and initial development of apple tree i malus i i domestica i borkh in an orchard |
| topic | floor management system non-chemical weed control mulch soil quality tree development initial bearing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/12/2070 |
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