Comparison of different methods of groundcover management along tree rows in apple orchards

Abstract

Orchard groundcover management along the tree rows plays a central role in intensive apple cultivation. The maintenance of the tree strip is indispensable for an economically successful farm management. The aim of groundcover management is primarily to keep competition for water and nutrients between the fruit trees and the spontaneous vegetation as low as possible. For this purpose, the use of chemical herbicides has become generally established in conventional fruit growing over the last decades. Due to the more and more critical perception of the use of herbicides by the public, the use of mechanical methods for weed control is receiving increased attention. In the present trial, the use of some mechanical devices for weed control was compared with conventional herbicide application, with particular regard to the growth and yield of apple trees, but also to labour requirement. The study was conducted over several years on apple orchards of different varieties, both in young and in productive orchards. The results show no significant yield differences between the weed control methods in the productive orchards, while in the young orchards the herbicide applications partly resulted in better tree growth and higher yield. However, all the mechanical methods required a significantly higher labour input than chemical weed control.