Cutting Frequency and Liquid Manure Application on Green Manure Production of Rye and Hairy Vetch in Pear Orchard

Abstract

Many organic fruit growers adopt cover cropping in their orchards to improve soil properties. A field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of cutting frequency of cover crop (CF) and liquid manure application (LM) on green manure production (GMP) and returnable nutrient content (RNC) in pear orchard. The combined effects of CF and LM were tested at two levels, respectively, with liquid manure (<TEX>$L_1$</TEX>) and without liquid manure (<TEX>$L_0$</TEX>). After that, cover crops were cut once (<TEX>$C_1$</TEX>) and three times (<TEX>$C_3$</TEX>) in rye, and twice (<TEX>$C_2$</TEX>) and four times (<TEX>$C_4$</TEX>) in hairy vetch. The result showed that main factors related to green manure production were different depending on the species. In rye, LM was more effective in increasing the dry weight of cover crop and RNC than CF. In contrast, the parameters were more affected by CF rather than LM in hairy vetch. Thus, it is suggested that different management technique is needed depending on the cover crop species in order to maximize the green manure production in pear orchard.