Hedgerow Olive Orchards versus Traditional Olive Orchards: Impact on Selected Soil Chemical Properties

José Rato-Nunes (), José Telo-da-Gama, David Peña, Luís Loures, Angel Albaran, Damian Fernández-Rodríguez, Luis Vicente and António López-Piñeiro
Additional contact information
José Rato-Nunes: Department of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Agrarian Superior School of Elvas, 7350-092 Elvas, Portugal
José Telo-da-Gama: Department of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Agrarian Superior School of Elvas, 7350-092 Elvas, Portugal
David Peña: Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Agricultural Engineering School, University of Extremadura, 06007 Badajoz, Spain
Luís Loures: Department of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Agrarian Superior School of Elvas, 7350-092 Elvas, Portugal
Angel Albaran: Department of Agronomic and Forestry Engineering, Agricultural Engineering School, University of Extremadura, 06007 Badajoz, Spain
Damian Fernández-Rodríguez: Department of Agronomic and Forestry Engineering, Agricultural Engineering School, University of Extremadura, 06007 Badajoz, Spain
Luis Vicente: Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Science Faculty, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
António López-Piñeiro: Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Science Faculty, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: Olive orchards cover over 10 million hectares worldwide, with production techniques undergoing significant changes in the past three decades. The traditional rainfed approach, involving minimal inputs, has given way to irrigated super-intensive systems with higher planting density, increased productivity, a greater use of fertilizers and phytopharmaceuticals, and total mechanization. Its impact on soil chemical properties remains a topic of great debate, and no definitive consensus has been reached. Our main objective was to examine the different effects of traditional olive orchards and super-intensive orchards on soil chemistry over a decade. We collected and analyzed 1500 soil samples from an irrigation perimeter in southern Portugal in 2003 and 2013. Our findings indicate that, compared to traditional olive orchards, super-intensive ones show, in a decade, a significant decrease in soil organic matter (less 22.8%— p < 0.001), namely due to the increase in mineralization caused by an increase in soil moisture content as a result of irrigation practice, and an increase in sodization (more 33.8% of Ext Na— p < 0.001) highlighting the importance of monitoring this factor for soil fertility. In comparison to other irrigated crops in the region, super-intensive olive orchards promote a significant soil acidification (from 7.12 to 6.58), whereas the pH values of the other crops increase significantly (3.3%, 13.5%, and 3.0% more in corn, tomato, and cereals, respectively). Mainly because of the decrease in organic matter levels with soil acidification and soil sodization, we can underline that hedgerow olive orchards can affect soil characteristics negatively when compared with traditional ones, and it is necessary to adopt urgent measures to counter this fact, namely sustainable agriculture practices.

Keywords: hedged olive grove; mediterranean region; soil chemical characteristics; traditional olive grove (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/2/251/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/2/251/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:251-:d:1332580

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().