Abstract
No-till practices reduce soil erosion, conserve soil organic carbon, and enhance soil fertility. Yet, many factors could limit their adoption in organic farming. The present study investigated the effects of tillage and cover cropping on weed biomass, plant growth, yield, and fruit quality of an organic processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L. var. Elba F1) over two seasons (2015–2017). We compared systems where processing tomato was transplanted on i) tilled soil following or not a winter cover crop (Trifolium squarrosum L.) and with/without a biodegradable plastic mulch; and ii) no-till where clover was used, after rolling and flaming, as dead mulch. Tomato in no-till suffered from high weed competition and low soil nitrogen availability leading to lower plant growth, N uptake, and yield components with respect to tilled systems. The total yield in no-till declined to 6.8 and 18.3 t ha−1 in 2016 and 2017, respectively, with at least a 65% decrease compared to tilled clover-based systems. No evidence of growth-limiting soil compaction was noticed but a slightly higher soil resistance was in the no-till topsoil. Tillage and cover crop residues did not significantly change tomato quality (pH, total soluble solids, firmness). The incorporation of clover as green manure was generally more advantageous over no-till. This was partly due to the low performance of the cover crop where improvement may limit the obstacles (i.e., N supply and weed infestation) and enable the implementation of no-till in organic vegetable systems.
Highlights
IntroductionLand managed under organic farming regulations in Europe has increased by almost 75% in the last decade [1]
According to recent statistics, land managed under organic farming regulations in Europe has increased by almost 75% in the last decade [1]
Elba F1, a processing cultivar that can be used for fresh consumption) (NT-CC); squarrose clover rolled and flamed, followed by a direct transplantation of tomato and supplemented with weeding interventions, i.e., inter-row mowing (NT-CC-SW); squarrose clover incorporated as green manure (CT-CC); squarrose clover incorporated and the soil covered with black biodegradable plastic mulch (Mater-Bi® ) set over the season (CT-CC-PM); fallow conventionally-tilled soil covered with plastic mulch (CT-NC-PM), fallow conventionally-tilled with soil kept bare (CT-NC), and a weedy control left untilled with natural vegetation (NT-NC)
Summary
Land managed under organic farming regulations in Europe has increased by almost 75% in the last decade [1]. Consumer demand for environmental sustainability as well as safety and food quality concerns continue to drive the organic industry and to encourage farmers to convert their agricultural systems to organic farming. Organic producers rely primarily on intensive and frequent tillage for weed management, organic fertilizers and residue incorporation, and seedbed preparation [2], in a way that sometimes violates the objective of organic farming to sustain soil health. Intensive tillage reduces soil quality, facilitates erosion through the destruction of soil structure, increases loss of topsoil organic matter, and decreases soil biological activity and biodiversity [3]. Benefits to soil fertility and other ecological services
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