Three years of management with cover crops protecting sloping olive groves soils, carbon and water effects on gypsiferous soil

Sastre, Blanca; Marques, María José; García‐Díaz, Andrés; Bienes, Ramón

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2018.07.003

Cited by 43 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…This low level of organic matter in coarse textured soils such as those in our case, affects the structural stability of the aggregates which, in response to the impact of the raindrops or as a consequence of the mechanized tillage, tend to disintegrate on the surface, leading to a crusting of the upper surface which hinders the infiltration of new rainfall and increases the surface runoff and risk of erosion. The use of sown vegetal covers, specifically selected for these soil and climate conditions in periods of lower water deficit, along with spontaneous herbaceous cover, contribute to protecting the soil against the direct impact of the raindrops, slowing down the surface runoff and improving infiltration through its root system, contributing to increasing the value of the effective rain [63], and stabilizing the macroaggregates of the soil as a direct consequence of its root system and indirectly fostering the development of mycorrhizal fungi [64]; the biological diversity increases on both a plot scale and in the soil itself and the nutrient balance is modified [65,66]; its incorporation in the soil will have a temporary effect on the total organic carbon content due to the labile nature of the material incorporated, but it will affect the balance of the soil organic carbon fractions, which have a high ecosystem value [67]. The contribution of sown covers is due to the need to increase biomass contributions over those made by spontaneous vegetation, which is not sufficient in itself.…”

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Barriers and Facilitators for Adopting Sustainable Soil Management Practices in Mediterranean Olive Groves

et al. 2020

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Soil is a fundamental resource, subject to severe and quick degradation processes because of the pressure of human activities, particularly in many regions of the Mediterranean where agriculture is an important economic activity. It has been proven that the use of sustainable soil management practices can potentially give rise to the creation of a carbon sink, an increase of soil organic matter content, the maintenance of crop productivity and a reduction in erosion. Despite the existence of scientific evidence about the benefits generated by the use of sustainable practices on soil, many farmers are reluctant to adopt them. The objective of this study is to identify and give a hierarchical structure to the factors that condition the adoption of sustainable practices in the management of agricultural soil. The case of olive tree cultivation in Southeast Spain has been studied, using a participatory qualitative methodology. The results show a series of seven principal barriers (information, costs, risk aversion, characteristics of the farm and sustainable practices, macro factors, and cultural barriers) and five facilitators (technology, farmer training, awareness, incentives, and social pressure) for the adoption of the proposed sustainable agricultural practices. The principal political and legislative actions proposed to increase the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices include: administrative control, fostering environmental awareness, technical knowledge, and on-farm demonstrations; and, on the economic and financial level, incorporation of both general incentives and subsidizing specific costs. This study contributes to the development and discussion of intervention proposals that are designed to stimulate the implementation of sustainable practices in agricultural soil management.

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Barriers and Facilitators for Adopting Sustainable Soil Management Practices in Mediterranean Olive Groves

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“…There is a potential for C sequestration in soils, if other sustainable land management practices different from frequent tillage are adopted, Gabarron-Galeote et al, [84] estimated this rate in 0.6 Mg ha −1 yr −1 in drylands in south Spain. Permanent cover crops between olive trees can increase SOC stock by 1 Mg ha −1 yr −1 in these gypsiferous soils during the first three years of management over 10 cm depth [85].…”

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confidence: 99%

Estimating Soil Organic Carbon in Agricultural Gypsiferous Soils by Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

Marques

Álvarez

Carral

et al. 2020

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Contents of soil organic carbon (SOC), gypsum, CaCO3, and quartz, among others, were analyzed and related to reflectance features in visible and near-infrared (VIS/NIR) range, using partial least square regression (PLSR) in ParLes software. Soil samples come from a sloping olive grove managed by frequent tillage in a gypsiferous area of Central Spain. Samples were collected in three different layers, at 0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm depth (IPCC guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme in 2006). Analyses were performed by C Loss-On-Ignition, X-ray diffraction and water content by the Richards plates method. Significant differences for SOC, gypsum, and CaCO3 were found between layers; similarly, soil reflectance for 30 cm depth layers was higher. The resulting PLSR models (60 samples for calibration and 30 independent samples for validation) yielded good predictions for SOC (R2 = 0.74), moderate prediction ability for gypsum and were not accurate for the rest of rest of soil components. Importantly, SOC content was related to water available capacity. Soils with high reflectance features held c.a. 40% less water than soils with less reflectance. Therefore, higher reflectance can be related to degradation in gypsiferous soil. The starting point of soil degradation and further evolution could be established and mapped through remote sensing techniques for policy decision making.

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“…Inappropriate agricultural practices have accelerated soil degradation and are considered the main cause of soil fertility decreases. Soils of olive groves and vineyards are usually managed by tillage, causing organic matter depletion and soil structure degradation [26]. In this context, and thanks to the agri-environmental schemes of former EU agricultural policies [27], the establishment of groundcovers for permanent crops was introduced into the Andalusia region.…”

Section: Conventional Farming Practices and Their Environmental Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall, groundcovers implementation in perennial crops offers manifold benefits, enhancing soil quality [70], improving organic matter contents [26,48,71], increasing the capacity of soil carbon sequestration and even reducing the development of weeds [51]. Nevertheless, there is a need for doing further research in groundcovers in vineyards, since there is not much insight on how these practices could affect wine quality.…”

Section: Measures About the Environmental Aspects Of Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Agricultural Sustainability on a Mixed Vineyard and Olive-Grove Farm in Southern Spain through the INSPIA Model

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The volume of the food produced across the world should be related to agricultural sustainability and is crucial for natural capital protection. Hence, sustainability assessment on farms and the identification of improvements is relevant. A mixed farm of vineyard and olive trees was chosen for sustainability assessment, based on the Best Management Practices (BMPs) that have been implemented. The aim of this research was to assess sustainability on a mixed vineyard and olive-grove farm and validate the INSPIA model for this kind of typology of a farm, which is very typical in the South of Spain. The sustainability assessment was monitored across 5-agricultural seasons based on the INSPIA methodology. INSPIA is based on the application of a set of BMPs, calculated on 31 basic indicators, providing a final composite index of sustainability. The greater the implementation of sustainable farming practices, the higher the value of the composite index. Enhanced soil, water, and air quality, improvement for biodiversity and for ecosystem services help towards sustainable agricultural productivity. Indicators’ results are shown during that period, depicting their relationship with the BMPs. The highest composite index was reached in the 4th year. This paper confirms the relevance of BMPs, such as groundcover establishment and minimum soil disturbance to upgrade sustainability on the permanent croplands in Southern Spain. The indicator-based sustainability assessment is considered a helpful tool in decision-making, which guides farmers towards BMPs performance.

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Three years of management with cover crops protecting sloping olive groves soils, carbon and water effects on gypsiferous soil

Cited by 43 publications

References 67 publications

Barriers and Facilitators for Adopting Sustainable Soil Management Practices in Mediterranean Olive Groves

Barriers and Facilitators for Adopting Sustainable Soil Management Practices in Mediterranean Olive Groves

Estimating Soil Organic Carbon in Agricultural Gypsiferous Soils by Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

Evaluation of Agricultural Sustainability on a Mixed Vineyard and Olive-Grove Farm in Southern Spain through the INSPIA Model

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