Natural vegetation management to conserve biodiversity and soil water in olive orchards
Open accessAbstract
The combined impact of soil tillage intensification and expansion of olive farming is resulting in soil degradation and biodiversity decline. We hypothesized that, instead of tilling, mowing to control the natural vegetation in spring can increase biodiversity and improve soil quality. We compared the effects of natural vegetation mowing (NVM) with those of tillage (NVT) on plant community composition and cover, soil water content and resistance to penetration, and olive yield over an 8-year period, in a Mediterranean rainfed olive orchard. NVM had an average of 28 more species and showed a strong positive correlation with Poaceae and Fabaceae, and also with geophytes and hemicryptophytes. In contrast, NVT was negatively correlated with species richness and diversity, with perennial life forms, and positively correlated with Convolvulaceae. Proportions of grass and straw cover in spring were higher in NVM from the beginning of the study (average difference was about 20%). In autumn, grass cover became higher in NVM than in NVT from year five (13% more) and straw cover from year two (30% more). Olive production did not differ between treatments in any of the years. Soil water was higher in NVM, at both soil depths, particularly in mid-summer and after the first autumn rains (1 to 2%). Soil resistance to penetration was 1 Mpa higher in NVM than in NVT. As compared to conventional tillage, natural vegetation cover mowed in spring seems to be an effective management practice to improve the overall rainfed olive orchard biodiversity and soil quality, without affecting production.
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A seven-year study on Portuguese rainfed olive orchards showed that mowing, compared to tillage, did not reduce olive yields.
“In a seven year study on Portuguese rainfed olive orchards it was shown that mowing, compared to tillage, did not reduce olive yields”
From Almond farm profitability under agroecological management in south-eastern Spain: Accounting for externalities and opportunity costs (2020) · cites this paper as Simoes et al., 2014
The Study site section locates the rainfed orchard in southeast Portugal, and Plant cover and olive production reports that yield was not significantly affected by mowing versus tillage. However, the Introduction describes the comparison as an eight-year study, not a seven-year one. (LLM, conf=0.89)
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“In a seven year study on Portuguese rainfed olive orchards it was shown that mowing, compared to tillage, did not reduce olive yields (Simoes et al., 2014).”
Background
- Authors
- Simoes, M. P., Belo, A. F., Pinto-Cruz, C., & Pinheiro, A. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Évora (PT)
- Venue
- Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research
- Publisher
- Editorial CSIC
- Published
- 2014-07-18
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 633-643
- ISSN
- 1695-971X (ISSN-L)
- 2171-9292
- OpenAlex
- W2030355642
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 14.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) (submittedVersion)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › General Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant and soil sciences
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Management and Crop Yield
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Forestry › Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems
- Keywords
- mowing, tillage, olive groves, biodiversity conservation, soil water, soil quality, soil penetration resistance, floristic composition, rainfed agriculture, soil degradation, olive yield, geophytes, Fabaceae, Poaceae
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