Fertilization with organic compost and green groundcover in mandarin orchard under organic cultivation

Abstract

The objective was investigate the influence of fertilization with organic compost and green ground cover in an 'Montenegrina' mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Ten.) mature orchard, under organic cultivation, in Montenegro county, RS. The treatments consisted of the following fertilization management since 2007: A - green covering the soil with Avena strigosa and Vicia sativa (winter) / Vigna unguiculata (summer), B - biennial fertilization with 200 m3 ha-1 of organic compost, C - annual fertilization with 100 m3 ha-1 of organic compost D - fertilizer in alternate years, one year with 100 m3 ha-1 and another withliquid biofertilizer. They were evaluated the fruit production in the years 2008 to 2010, the fruit mass manually thinned, fruit quality parameters and nutritional status of plants. Treatment A was superior to other treatments on the productivity of plants and some fruit quality variables, such as higher juice content (Jc) and soluble solids (SS), without affecting other properties. Treatments did not affect the plants nutritional status, but all the mandarin had insufficient foliar levels of N, K, Zn and Mn. Therefore the fertilization with green cover species increases the fruit yield of the 'Montenegrina' mandarins and improves some quality attributes of the fruit as SST and Ts, without changing the nutritional level of the plants. The continuous application of studied organic material has depressive effects on quantity and quality of mandarin production due to negative changes in the equilibrium among some soil chemical attributes.