A comparison of conventional and alternative understory management practices for apple production: multi-trophic effects
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- 作者：Mathews ; Clarissa R. ; Bottrell ; Dale G. ; Brown ; M.W.
- 关键词：Apple ; Compost ; Edaphic predators ; Mulch ; Understory management ; Trophic groups
- 刊名：Applied Soil Ecology
- 出版年：2002
- 出版时间：October - November, 2002
- 年：2002
- 卷：21
- 期：3
- 页码：221-231
- 全文大小：247 K
文摘
Modification of the soil for agricultural production is commonly studied as it relates to plant health and productivity, but the implications at other trophic levels are often over-looked. This study addressed the effects of orchard understory management at several trophic levels to understand potential impacts on the whole system. The soil in a newly planted Golden Delicious apple (Malus domestica Bork.) orchard was modified with four treatments: (1) mulch layer of composted poultry manure, (2) mulch layer of synthetic fiber, (3) conventional herbicide, and (4) hand-weeded control. These treatments were evaluated for their impact on edaphic and arboreal arthropods, substrate microclimate and weed growth, and apple tree vigor during the first year of growth (1998). Understory treatment affected edaphic arthropods at three trophic levels: detritivore, herbivore, and predator. Compost mulch significantly increased both edaphic detritivores and predators. Edaphic herbivores were less abundant in plots treated with synthetic mulch. No effect was found for arboreal herbivores, but aphidophagous Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Cecidomyiidae) larvae were more abundant on trees in compost-treated plots. Host-plant growth and leaf quality ( % N) were also affected by soil management, with a higher average trunk diameter and lower average leaf nitrogen ( % ) in compost-treated plots, despite equivalent N-input in all four treatments. Both mulches (compost and synthetic) resulted in lower soil temperatures and higher soil moistures and suppressed weed growth 10-fold better than either conventional herbicide or hand weeding. The results indicate that soil modification affects organisms at several trophic levels, and therefore, could hold important implications for the orchard ecosystem as a whole. Overall, mulching with composted manure benefited the whole orchard system the most and was superior to conventional herbicide as an understory management practice.