Abstract
Increased concerns associated with interactions between herbicides, inorganic fertilizers, soil nutrient availability, and plant phytotoxicity in perennial tree crop production systems have renewed interest in the use of cover crops in the inter-row middles or between trees as an alternative sustainable management strategy for these systems. Although interactions between the soil microbiome and cover crops have been examined for annual cropping systems, there are critical differences in management and growth in perennial cropping systems that can influence the soil microbiome and, therefore, the response to cover crops. Here, we discuss the importance of cover crops in tree cropping systems using multispecies cover crop mixtures and minimum tillage and no-tillage to not only enhance the soil microbiome but also carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling compared to monocropping, conventional tillage, and inorganic fertilization. We also identify potentially important taxa and research gaps that need to be addressed to facilitate assessments of the relationships between cover crops, soil microbes, and the health of tree crops. Additional evaluations of the interactions between the soil microbiome, cover crops, nutrient cycling, and tree performance will allow for more effective and sustainable management of perennial cropping systems.
Highlights
Perennial tree crops account for over 10% of global agriculture production according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Concerns associated with interactions between herbicides, inorganic fertilizers, soil nutrient availability, and plant phytotoxicity have been raised for several perennial tree crop production systems [8,9,10,11], increasing interest in alternative management strategies for these systems
The fungal genera Acremonium, Alternaria, Armillaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Cylindrocarpon, Microdochium, Penicillium, Phaeoacremonium, Phialophora, and Rosellini were positively related to increased SOM content and decomposition of complex polymers in olive orchards intercropped with grass cover crops [50,51,53] and their beneficial roles in soil health have been previously described in agricultural soils [52]
Summary
Perennial tree crops account for over 10% of global agriculture production according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In 2017, the most cultivated tree crops in the world were grapes, cashews, and mangoes, accounting for a global harvested area of 69.3, 59.8, and 56.8 Mha, respectively [1]. Management of these perennial systems can be intensive, and fertigation and foliar applications of inorganic fertilizers are frequently performed to satisfy the high nutrient demand of tree crops [2,3,4,5]. Cover crops can be planted in the iinnter-row mmiddles (A) oorr bbeettwween ttrreeees ((BB)) iinn ppeerreennnniiaall systems In warmer climates, such as in Florida for citrus, year-round cover croopp ppllaannttiinngg iiss ppoossssiibbllee ffoorr ppeerreennnniiaall ssyysstteemmss ((CC)). DGGE (16S rRNA gene) and qPCR (16S rRNA) qPCR (amoA AOB and amoA AOA genes), pyrosequencing
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