Phosphorus Removal With Grass In An Apple Orchard Under Influence Of Mulch And Irrigation

Abstract

Phosphorus leaching from intensive agriculture systems is one of major contributors responsible for pollution of ground-water and surface water bodies. The aim of this study was to determine the content of phosphorus in orchard lawn for reduction of phosphorus fertilizer application and to include the phosphorus from mown grass into P balance and turnover calculation. The investigation was done at the Latvia State Institute of Fruit–Growing in 2009. Three treatments were compared: control, mulch and fertigation. Inter-row strips were covered by grass vegetation. Grass samples were collected at the time of grass mowing. The removal of phosphorus was calculated as kilograms per hectare area. The concentration of phosphorus in the lawn and the height of grass growth were significantly influenced by the mowing time and the soil moisture treatment. These results can be a base for further studies of phosphorus turnover in an orchard, as well as for fertilizer planning and management.

Fertilisation strategies and their influence on nutrient flows in organic apple orchards

“…4) can be explained by III), the regular transfer of biomass from the inter-row area to the tree row. The differences provide a hint that the very common use of inter-row biomass as mulching material for the tree row transfers considerable quantities of nutrients into the tree row (Jadczuk 1990;Engel et al 2009;Surikova and Kārkliņš 2011). Mulch transfer is mainly applied in order to cover the soil surface for weed control and to reduce water evaporation in the tree row, as well as to enhance soil organic matter content (Lepp et al 2022b).…”