Effects of weed and nutrient management practices in organic pear orchards
2013
Ingels, C.A. | Lanini, T. | Klonsky, K.M. | Demoura, R.
From 2009-2011, four weed control treatments (in-row mowing, landscape fabric, wood chips, and organic herbicide) and four fertilizer treatments (poultry manure high vs. low rate, feather meal, and untreated) were compared in an organic, no-till ‘Bosc’ pear (Pyrus communis) orchard. The landscape fabric and wood chip treatments controlled most weeds, but multiple herbicide applications per year resulted in only partial control. There were no significant yield differences among treatments, and little difference in fruit diameter or weight. There were no significant differences in trunk growth among treatments. In two of the years, the N content of leaves in mow + no fertilizer was significantly lower than most high-rate manure treatments, while leaf P content followed the opposite trend. All fertilizer treatments tended to increase soil NO3-N over non-fertilized plots. Soil P and K were highest under wood chips, and P was lower under feather meal. Soil pH was lowest under feather meal, and soil organic matter was highest under wood chips. Wood chips tended to have fewer vole holes than in-row mowing, and fabric resulted in slightly greater trunk damage by voles. Assuming that landscape fabric lasts 8 years, it was only slightly more expensive per year than in-row mowing. An organic herbicide program was more expensive because of the herbicide cost and the many applications required. Wood chips were by far the most expensive treatment. The use of feather meal was about three times the cost of low-rate manure application for an equivalent amount of N, but poultry manure is sometimes unavailable.
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