Leaf analysis is essential for diagnosing nutritional status and guiding fertilizer application. The present study aimed to investigate the appropriate time for leaf sampling and the effect of genotype on olive nutrition. We determined leaf nutrient concentrations of calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) in five Greek (‘Amfissis’, ‘Chondrolia Chalkidikis’, ‘Koroneiki’, ‘Mastoidis’, and ‘Kalamon’) and one Spanish (‘Picual’) variety from May 2019 to April 2020. The concentrations of Ca, Fe, and Mn were significantly affected by genotype and season. The highest concentrations for all nutrients were determined in April, while the lowest were in May, June, and October. Leaf Ca concentration significantly increased progressively from May to September for all the varieties. Leaves of ‘Koroneiki’ had the highest Ca concentration. Iron concentrations were within the sufficiency thresholds for all the varieties during the whole experimental period, and ‘Mastoidis’ showed the highest concentration. Leaf Mn concentration for all the varieties increased from May to September with an instant decrease in June, apart from ‘Amfissis’. The varieties ‘Kalamon’ and ‘Chondrolia Chalkidikis’ were found to be above the Mn sufficiency threshold throughout the year. Variations among season and genotype depict the complexity of nutrient transportation in leaf tissues.
Intensive agricultural management practices (i.e., the burning of pruning residues, the absence of organic amendments) lead to a reduction in organic matter and nutrients in the soil resulting in agroecosystem vulnerability. Implementing a cover crop would provide soil organic matter while increasing nutrition levels in the soil. A mixture of cover crop trial in sandy loam soils under Mediterranean climatic conditions was conducted in a rainfed olive grove in Western Crete. In this study, the dry biomass, macro- and micronutrition, and carbon status of the seeded cover crops (legume and grass) were compared to natural plants in an olive grove. Seeded cover crops were conducted in two sustainable management systems (cover crops solely, and a combination of compost, pruning residues, and cover crops); natural plants were in a conventional system involving soil tillage. In combination with conservation tillage practices, the addition of carbon inputs may improve soil fertility. Results indicate that the dry biomass production and C content of cover crops under sustainable management systems was significantly higher than that of the control. The higher dry biomass production and C content found in cover crops compared to the natural vegetation indicates not only that this type of management provides enhanced carbon storage, but can also potentially lead to a future increase in soil organic matter through decomposition. Higher dry biomass is important in the context of carbon sequestration, and cover crops facilitated carbon storage in this study. In addition, this study suggests that sustainable agricultural management practices would provide significant benefits in terms of nutrient retention and CO2 fixation, thus improving ecosystems in Mediterranean countries.
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