Assessing Local Uncertainty of Soil Protection in an Olive Grove Area with Pruning Residues Cover: A Geostatistical Cosimulation Approach

Rodríguez‐Lizana, Antonio; Pereira, Maria João Veloso da Costa Ramos; Ribeiro, Manuel; Soares, Amílcar; Márquez‐García, Francisco; Ramos, Alzira; Gil-Ribes, Jesús A.

doi:10.1002/ldr.2734

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Additionally, quantifying the impact of pruning on the tree volume gives an estimated value of the available residual biomass [ 32 ], which could serve to calculate the potential energy from this raw material [ 33 ] or, furthermore, to evaluate the site-specific effects of the application of these by-products on the soil in no-till systems to prevent land degradation and improve the organic matter content [ 34 – 36 ]. The use of pruned residues as mulch is growing [ 37 ] and can help prevent pollutant dispersion in olive groves [ 38 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying pruning impacts on olive tree architecture and annual canopy growth by using UAV-based 3D modelling

et al. 2017

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BackgroundTree pruning is a costly practice with important implications for crop harvest and nutrition, pest and disease control, soil protection and irrigation strategies. Investigations on tree pruning usually involve tedious on-ground measurements of the primary tree crown dimensions, which also might generate inconsistent results due to the irregular geometry of the trees. As an alternative to intensive field-work, this study shows a innovative procedure based on combining unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology and advanced object-based image analysis (OBIA) methodology for multi-temporal three-dimensional (3D) monitoring of hundreds of olive trees that were pruned with three different strategies (traditional, adapted and mechanical pruning). The UAV images were collected before pruning, after pruning and a year after pruning, and the impacts of each pruning treatment on the projected canopy area, tree height and crown volume of every tree were quantified and analyzed over time.ResultsThe full procedure described here automatically identified every olive tree on the orchard and computed their primary 3D dimensions on the three study dates with high accuracy in the most cases. Adapted pruning was generally the most aggressive treatment in terms of the area and volume (the trees decreased by 38.95 and 42.05% on average, respectively), followed by trees under traditional pruning (33.02 and 35.72% on average, respectively). Regarding the tree heights, mechanical pruning produced a greater decrease (12.15%), and these values were minimal for the other two treatments. The tree growth over one year was affected by the pruning severity and by the type of pruning treatment, i.e., the adapted-pruning trees experienced higher growth than the trees from the other two treatments when pruning intensity was low (<10%), similar to the traditionally pruned trees at moderate intensity (10–30%), and lower than the other trees when the pruning intensity was higher than 30% of the crown volume.ConclusionsCombining UAV-based images and an OBIA procedure allowed measuring tree dimensions and quantifying the impacts of three different pruning treatments on hundreds of trees with minimal field work. Tree foliage losses and annual canopy growth showed different trends as affected by the type and severity of the pruning treatments. Additionally, this technology offers valuable geo-spatial information for designing site-specific crop management strategies in the context of precision agriculture, with the consequent economic and environmental benefits.Graphical Abstract

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying pruning impacts on olive tree architecture and annual canopy growth by using UAV-based 3D modelling

et al. 2017

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“…Nevertheless, most olive growers use spontaneous vegetation due to economic savings in seed. In 2018, 92% of the Spanish olive grove areas with any type of CC had a spontaneous CC [16] that was occasionally combined with mulch cover of pruning residues, which are durable, protect the soil and enhance soil fertility [17][18][19][20]. However, the continued use of the same CC produces a change in ruderal flora.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of C, N, P and K Release from Residues of Newly Proposed Cover Crops in a Spanish Olive Grove

et al. 2020

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Cover crops (CC)s are increasingly employed by farmers in olive groves. Spontaneous soil cover is the most commonly used CC. Its continuous utilization changes ruderal flora. It is necessary to study new CCs. Living CCs provide C and nutrients to soil during decomposition. Information on this issue in olive groves is scarce. A 4-year field study involving grab sampling of Brachypodium distachyon, Sinapis alba and spontaneous CC residues was conducted to study C and nutrient release from cover crop residues. Throughout the decomposition cycles, C, N and P release accounted for 40 to 58% of the C, N and P amounts in the residues after mowing. Most K was released (80–90%). Expressed in kg per hectare, the release of C and N in Brachypodium (C: 4602, N: 181, P: 29, K: 231) and Sinapis (C: 4806, N: 152, P: 18, K: 195) was greater than that in spontaneous CC (C: 3115, N: 138, P: 21, K: 256). The opposite results were observed for K. The Rickman model, employed to estimate the amount of C, N and P in residues, yielded a good match between the simulated and measured values. In comparison to spontaneous CC, the newly proposed CCs have a higher potential to provide soil with C and N.

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“…The mulching of shreddable pruning residues is a very good alternative to protecting the soil while simultaneously improving its physical, chemical and biological properties [15][16][17]. Pruning mulch is effective in soil and water conservation [18,19], and provides longer protection than herbaceous groundcovers [20]. Chopping the residues improves soil fertility [21], partially prevents the development of ruderal flora [22], may reduce the use of herbicides, and does not pose a phytopathological problem on any farm with proper phytosanitary status [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The potential of chopped mulch, either to improve soil properties [32] or for use as biomass, will depend on the available amount of pruning. The quantity of pruning biomass is strongly linked to the size of the olive trees [19], resulting in varying densities of mulch in fields with trees of different sizes. Accurate knowledge of the amount of shreddable pruning is crucial for efficient farm management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the Spatial Variability and Uncertainty of Shreddable Pruning Biomass in an Olive Grove Based on Canopy Volume and Tree Projected Area

et al. 2023

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Olive pruning residues are a by-product that can be applied to soil or used for energy production in a circular economy model. Its benefits depend on the amount of pruning, which varies greatly within farms. This study aimed to investigate the spatial variability of shreddable olive pruning in a traditional olive grove in Córdoba (Spain) with an area of 15 ha and trees distanced 12.5 m from each other. To model the spatial variability of shreddable olive pruning, geostatistical methods of stochastic simulation were applied to three correlated variables measured on sampled trees: the crown projected area (n = 928 trees), the crown volume (n = 167) and the amount of shreddable pruning (n = 59). Pearson’s correlation between pairs of variables varied from 0.71 to 0.76. The amount of pruning showed great variability, ranging from 7.6 to 76 kg tree−1, with a mean value of 37 kg tree−1. Using exponential and spherical variogram models, the spatial continuity of the variables under study was established. Shreddable dry pruning weight values showed spatial autocorrelation up to 180 m. The spatial uncertainty of the estimation was obtained using sequential simulation algorithms. Stochastic simulation algorithms provided 150 possible images of the amount of shreddable pruning on the farm, using tree projected area and crown volume as secondary information. The interquartile range and 90% prediction interval were used as indicators of the uncertainty around the mean value. Uncertainty validation was performed using accuracy plots and the associated G-statistic. Results indicate with high confidence (i.e., low uncertainty) that shreddable dry pruning weight in the mid-western area of the farm will be much lower than the rest of the farm. In the same way, results show with high confidence that dry pruning weight will be much higher in a small area in the middle east of the farm. The values of the G-statistic ranged between 0.89 and 0.90 in the tests performed. The joint use of crown volume and projected areas is valuable in estimating the spatial variability of the amount of pruning. The study shows that the use of prediction intervals enables the evaluation of farm areas and informed management decisions with a low level of risk. The methodology proposed in this work can be extrapolated to other 3D crops without requiring modifications. On a larger scale, it can be useful for predicting optimal locations for biomass plants, areas with high potential as carbon sinks or areas requiring special soil protection measures.

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Assessing Local Uncertainty of Soil Protection in an Olive Grove Area with Pruning Residues Cover: A Geostatistical Cosimulation Approach

Cited by 13 publications

References 33 publications

Quantifying pruning impacts on olive tree architecture and annual canopy growth by using UAV-based 3D modelling

Quantifying pruning impacts on olive tree architecture and annual canopy growth by using UAV-based 3D modelling

Study of C, N, P and K Release from Residues of Newly Proposed Cover Crops in a Spanish Olive Grove

Assessment of the Spatial Variability and Uncertainty of Shreddable Pruning Biomass in an Olive Grove Based on Canopy Volume and Tree Projected Area

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