La gestione del suolo

Soil management is one of the key practices that influence the vegetative and reproductive activity of the olive tree. Tillage, green cover (permanent or temporary), herbicide application and mulching are all used in olive growing. Tillage is still the preferred method worldwide, but the use of properly managed green covers is strongly suggested for greater sustainability of the olive orchard. Tillage is advantageous for weed removal, easy application of fertilizers, and storage of precipitation water, and it favors mineralization of organic matter. However, it may cause erosion in sloping areas with considerable losses of soil, organic matter and nutrients. Green covers reduce erosion and ease trafficking of machinery when the soil is moist, as often happens at harvesting time. Yet, permanent green covers increase water consumption which may be detrimental in arid climates. Herbicide application and mulching are not as common as tillage or green covers in Italian olive orchards. Herbicides eliminate weeds, but have a greater environmental impact than other methods of soil management. To reduce chemical inputs in the orchard, herbicides are often used only along the tree row, combined with intercropping or tillage in the inter-row. Mulching with polyethylene sheets is mainly limited by the cost and difficulty of disposing of the plastic sheets, whereas mulching with organic material is limited to family-run olive orchards due to shortage of mulching material. The new frontier of using living mulch or other plants in the olive orchard is discussed.