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Jebu Mia
Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 61031 Ancona, Italy

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Journal article
Published: 18 August 2021 in Agronomy
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A living mulch system can provide beneficial biodiversified phytocoenoses and spatial competition against weeds; however, it may also compete for water with the main cultivated crop under Mediterranean climate conditions. Strawberries employed as living mulch in a rain-fed hill vineyard of central Italy were evaluated for two years through a participative approach involving the farmer. A local wild strawberry was propagated by stolons to obtain small plantlets easily uprooted after the summer and then transplanted to a one-year-old vineyard. The densities of two and four strawberry plants per grapevine were compared with no living mulch in a randomized complete block design. A horizontal blade weeder was used once a year in all treatments. The results showed that strawberries as living mulch plus application of a blade weeder avoided the need for further soil tillage and assured a full soil cover during winter for both initial planting densities. The strawberry living mulch did not alter the grapevine transpiration during an incident of water stress in summer. Moreover, the yield per vine and the grape quality were comparable with those of the soil without living mulch. The growth of strawberry mulch was relevant in the area surrounding the vines. Furthermore, the living mulch guaranteed a constant soil cover reducing the risk for soil erosion while increasing the vineyard’s biological diversity. This may imply a higher resilience.

ACS Style

Davide Neri; Serena Polverigiani; Matteo Zucchini; Veronica Giorgi; Fabio Marchionni; Jebu Mia. Strawberry Living Mulch in an Organic Vineyard. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1643 .

AMA Style

Davide Neri, Serena Polverigiani, Matteo Zucchini, Veronica Giorgi, Fabio Marchionni, Jebu Mia. Strawberry Living Mulch in an Organic Vineyard. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (8):1643.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Davide Neri; Serena Polverigiani; Matteo Zucchini; Veronica Giorgi; Fabio Marchionni; Jebu Mia. 2021. "Strawberry Living Mulch in an Organic Vineyard." Agronomy 11, no. 8: 1643.

Journal article
Published: 22 March 2021 in Horticulturae
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The establishment of living mulches in organic orchards could potentially improve the orchard biodiversity and, when specific plant species are selected, provide additional eco-services and functions, including adequate weed management. This study was conducted in an organically managed apple orchard in Skierniewice (Poland) to assess the effect of two selected living mulching species: Alchemilla vulgaris and Mentha piperita. They were assessed on weed control, weed biodiversity, tree nutritional status, root dry weight density (RDWD), and other root morphological traits compared to a natural soil cover (control). Overall, both living mulches produced 42.5% more dry biomass, increased weed species number (+29%), and increased soil coverage (+33%) compared to control mowed plots. The apple leaf chlorophyll index and nutrient content were higher in the presence of both living mulches than in the control. In addition, apple trees had 30–46% higher root dry weight densities, even though other root morphological traits were not affected by the treatments. The results suggested that the tree row can be managed with living mulches of herbs; these species have the potential to provide an additional income to the farmer, as well as beneficial effects for the orchard biodiversity, without impairing the tree root development and nutrient status.

ACS Style

Jebu Mia; Ewa Furmanczyk; Joanna Golian; Joanna Kwiatkowska; Eligio Malusá; Davide Neri. Living Mulch with Selected Herbs for Soil Management in Organic Apple Orchards. Horticulturae 2021, 7, 59 .

AMA Style

Jebu Mia, Ewa Furmanczyk, Joanna Golian, Joanna Kwiatkowska, Eligio Malusá, Davide Neri. Living Mulch with Selected Herbs for Soil Management in Organic Apple Orchards. Horticulturae. 2021; 7 (3):59.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jebu Mia; Ewa Furmanczyk; Joanna Golian; Joanna Kwiatkowska; Eligio Malusá; Davide Neri. 2021. "Living Mulch with Selected Herbs for Soil Management in Organic Apple Orchards." Horticulturae 7, no. 3: 59.

Journal article
Published: 07 December 2020 in Horticulturae
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Nowadays, understory vegetation along the tree row is considered a vital source of agroecosystem services and functional biodiversity improvement in the fruit orchard. Hence, current orchard floor management systems encourage practicing a more sustainable approach that supports vegetation cover rather than keeping bare soil herbicide use, or tillage. A two-year field trial was conducted using two different ground management techniques; integrated mowing (mower and brush or disc) and herbicide (glyphosate) in two commercial apple and peach orchards in a nitrogen vulnerable zone (NVZ) of the Marche region, Italy. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of these practices on soil N status, weed abundance, percent of soil cover, and dry weed biomass production. Weed management systems had no significant effect on soil organic matter and N availability; however, an improvement was noticed under integrated mowing when compared to the one treated with herbicides. Integrated mowing had a significant effect on species richness, soil coverage, and weed biomass production, which was approximately 2-times higher than in the herbicide-treated plots. The overall results showed that integrated mowing maintained a balance in the soil N status of both orchards, while supporting above-ground weed biodiversity and soil protection.

ACS Style

Jebu Mia; Elga Monaci; Giorgio Murri; Francesca Massetani; Jacopo Facchi; Davide Neri. Soil Nitrogen and Weed Biodiversity: An Assessment under Two Orchard Floor Management Practices in a Nitrogen Vulnerable Zone in Italy. Horticulturae 2020, 6, 96 .

AMA Style

Jebu Mia, Elga Monaci, Giorgio Murri, Francesca Massetani, Jacopo Facchi, Davide Neri. Soil Nitrogen and Weed Biodiversity: An Assessment under Two Orchard Floor Management Practices in a Nitrogen Vulnerable Zone in Italy. Horticulturae. 2020; 6 (4):96.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jebu Mia; Elga Monaci; Giorgio Murri; Francesca Massetani; Jacopo Facchi; Davide Neri. 2020. "Soil Nitrogen and Weed Biodiversity: An Assessment under Two Orchard Floor Management Practices in a Nitrogen Vulnerable Zone in Italy." Horticulturae 6, no. 4: 96.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2020 in Agronomy
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Despite the productivity, achieving long-term sustainability and maintaining plant biodiversity have become the pivotal goals in orchard floor management, especially along tree rows. Thus, the paradigm of eradicating weeds in the tree row using chemical herbicide or repeated soil tillage needs to be substituted with more sustainable alternatives. This study was conducted in two commercial apple and peach orchards in Marche region (Italy). Two integrated mechanical approaches, integrated mowing (mower and brush or disc) and integrated tillage (blade weeder and integrated mowing), were compared with the standard herbicide system in a 2-year trial. Weed species diversity, soil coverage, and weed biomass production, including, gas exchange parameters, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), fruit yield and quality were measured. Overall, both integrated practices demonstrated approximately 82%, 91% and 113% more species diversity, soil coverage, and weed biomass production, respectively, than herbicide systems. No significant differences were found in terms of tree gas exchange parameters, growth and fruit yield. However, a few fruit quality parameters such as fruit firmness, soluble solids content (SSC) and dry matter content responded positively to the integrated practices. These results suggest that the integrated mechanical approaches of weed management increased orchard biodiversity, and had no adverse effects on tree growth, fruit yield, and quality. The average costs per hectare associated with chemical weed control were 66.5% and 72% lower, respectively, compared to integrated tillage and integrated mowing. However, the government subsidies provided to the orchardists to encourage sustainable management practices were able to offset such additional costs.

ACS Style

Jebu Mia; Francesca Massetani; Giorgio Murri; Jacopo Facchi; Elga Monaci; Luca Amadio; Davide Neri. Integrated Weed Management in High Density Fruit Orchards. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1492 .

AMA Style

Jebu Mia, Francesca Massetani, Giorgio Murri, Jacopo Facchi, Elga Monaci, Luca Amadio, Davide Neri. Integrated Weed Management in High Density Fruit Orchards. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (10):1492.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jebu Mia; Francesca Massetani; Giorgio Murri; Jacopo Facchi; Elga Monaci; Luca Amadio; Davide Neri. 2020. "Integrated Weed Management in High Density Fruit Orchards." Agronomy 10, no. 10: 1492.

Review
Published: 31 March 2020 in Horticultural Science
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This review is designed to address various alternative weed-control practices and their possibilities in the fruit orchard in terms of sustainability. Correct weed management and maintenance of adequate orchard biodiversity are crucial for sustainable orchard soil management. The key is to practice an alternative weed-management approach (single or integrated) rather than to use possibly harmful chemicals only. Integration of modern equipment with a shallow tillage system can provide effective weed control in tree rows, including optimised tree performance and soil biodiversity. Living mulch suppresses weeds and enhances orchard biodiversity, while selection of less competitive and less pest-attracting species is crucial. Plastic covers offer long-term weed control, but additional nutrient amendments are required to maintain the balanced fertility of the soil. Wood chip mulch is suggested where the materials are available on or near the farm, and where there is lower incidence of perennial weeds. High pressure water and robotic systems are still in their infancy for fruit orchards, and required more research to confirm their efficiency.

ACS Style

Jebu Mia; Francesca Massetani; Giorgio Murri; Davide Neri. Sustainable alternatives to chemicals for weed control in the orchard – a Review. Horticultural Science 2020, 47, 1 -12.

AMA Style

Jebu Mia, Francesca Massetani, Giorgio Murri, Davide Neri. Sustainable alternatives to chemicals for weed control in the orchard – a Review. Horticultural Science. 2020; 47 (No. 1):1-12.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jebu Mia; Francesca Massetani; Giorgio Murri; Davide Neri. 2020. "Sustainable alternatives to chemicals for weed control in the orchard – a Review." Horticultural Science 47, no. No. 1: 1-12.