Search results for "Mulch"

The immediate effectiveness of barley straw mulch in reducing soil erodibility and surface runoff generation in Mediterranean vineyards

2016

Soil and water loss in agriculture is a major problem throughout the world, and especially in Mediterranean areas. Non-conservation agricultural practices have further aggravated the situation, especially in vineyards, which are affected by one of the highest rates of soil loss among cultivated lands. Therefore, it is necessary to find the right soil practices for more sustainable viticulture. In this regard, straw mulching has proven to be effective in other crop and fire affected soils, but, nonetheless, little research has been carried out in vineyards. This research tests the effect of barley straw mulching on soil erosion and surface runoff on vineyards in Eastern Spain where the soil …

Soil Solarization as an Alternative to Methyl Bromide Fumigation for Annual Strawberry Production in a Mediterranean Area

2008

This study compares the effects of soil solarization and methyl bromide fumigation on the growth and yield of strawberry plants (Fragaria xananassa Duch.) cultivated under plastic tunnel conditions. The study was conducted in a Mediterranean coastal area, in four consecutive annual production cycles in a field with no history of methyl bromide fumigation and 2-year history of strawberry production. In all 4 years, solarization was conducted for 7- to 9-week intervals from late June to early September. Cultivar Tudla frigo-plants were planted through mulch in the first week of September of each year. Average daily soil temperatures in solarized plots measured at 15 cm depth were 6.0, 8.1, 7.…

EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT WEED CONTROL PRACTICES ON SOIL QUALITY IN MEDITERRANEAN CROPS

2017

Effects of different weed control practices on soil quality in mediterranean crops This research approaches the question of weed control sustainability, from the point of view of soil quality maintenance and enhancing. A big choice of practices and products for weed control are available nowadays, but the actual definition of "sustainable practice" not always considers soil fertility. Soil processes timescale is wider than the productive, commercial and legislative ones. Also the definition of survey protocols is a process slower than the evolution of weed control methods. The faster reaction in the soil ecosystem after an external pressure is given by the organisms living in it, and the mi…

Jute bioblanket as a soil rehabilitation strategy in Sorocaba, Brazil: Soil chemistry and SWOT approaches

2019

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:28:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-09-01 Soil erosion and the invasion of exotic plant species are major constraints to achieve sustainable development around the world. Currently, we find few products devoted concomitantly to combatting soil erosion as well as the establishment of unwanted exotic plants. In this paper, we introduce a new product, called herein a bioblanket, that protects the soil and impedes the establishment of exotic plant species. This product is of simple design, and to manufacture it, we use two biodegradable materials: jute tissue and grass wastes. We designed this product to combat soil erosion and …

Effects of Plastic mulch and floating cover on lettuce production in Sicily

2010

Indagine su Henosepilachna elaterii (Rossi) (=Epilachna chrysomelina (F.)) e Raphidopalpa foveicollis (Lucas) in meloneti biologici della Sicilia occ…

2011

Investigations on Henosepilachna elaterii (Rossi) and Raphidopalpa foveicollis (Lucas) in an organic cultivation of winter melon in western Sicily. A study on H. elaterii and R. Foveicollis, serious pests of winter melon, was conducted in two organic melon fields of the western Sicily. Dynamics of population and infestation levels were investigated. In addition, the possible influence of mulching on R. Foveicollis infestation has been taken into account. Our results showed that H. elaterii occurred only in one field from the beginning of June and it infested 60% of the plants in the mid-July, then the pest population density dropped to about 10%. R. foveicollis occurred in both locations fr…

Effects of agricultural management on surface soil properties and soil–water losses in eastern Spain

2009

Abstract In Spain, agriculture triggers soil degradation and erosion processes. New strategies have to be developed to reduce soil losses and recover or maintain soil functionality in order to achieve a sustainable agriculture. An experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of different agricultural management on soil properties and soil erosion. Five different treatments (ploughing, herbicide, control, straw mulch and chipped pruned branches) were established in “El Teularet experimental station” located in the Sierra de Enguera (Valencia, Spain). Soil sampling was conducted prior to treatment establishment, and again after 16 months, to determine soil organic matter content (OM), aggre…

The contribution of mulches to control high soil erosion rates in vineyards in Eastern Spain

2014

Soil erosion take place in degraded ecosystem where the lack of vegetation, drought, erodible parent material and deforestation take place (Borelli et al., 2013; Haregeweyn et al., 2013; Zhao et al., 2013). Agriculture management developed new landscapes (Ore and Bruins, 2012) and use to trigger non-sustainable soil erosion rates (Zema et al., 2012). High erosion rates were measured in agriculture land (Cerdà et al., 2009), but it is also possible to develop managements that will control the soil and water losses, such as organic amendments (Marqués et al., 2005), plant cover (Marqués et al., 2007) and geotextiles (Giménez Morera et al., 2010). The most successful management to restore the …

Soil Quality as Affected by Intensive Versus Conservative Agricultural Managements

2017

Soils, the earth’s skin, are at the intersection of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The persistence of life on our planet depends on the maintenance of soils as they constitute the biological engines of earth. Human population has increased exponentially in recent decades, along with the demand for food, materials, and energy, which have caused a shift from low-yield and subsistence agriculture to a more productive, high-cost, and intensive agriculture. However, soils are very fragile ecosystems and require centuries for their development, thus within the human timescale they are not renewable resources. Modern and intensive agriculture implies serious concern about…

Effects of length and application rate of rice straw mulch on surface runoff and soil loss under laboratory simulated rainfall

2021

Abstract Forest land affected by deforestation yields high soil and water losses. Suitable management practices need to be found that can reduce these losses and achieve ecological and hydrological sustainability of the deforested areas. Mulch has been found to be effective in reducing soil losses; straw mulch is easy to apply, contributes soil organic matter, and is efficient since the day of application. However, the complex effects of rice straw mulch with different application rates and lengths on surface runoff and soil loss have not been clarified in depth. The current paper evaluates the efficiency of rice straw mulch in reducing the hydrological response of a silty clay loam soil un…