Comparative effects of organic and conventional apple orchard management on soil chemical properties and plant mineral content under Mediterranean climate conditions

摘要

The effects of conventional and organic management systems on soil chemical properties and leaf nutrients under Mediterranean conditions were studied over a 2-year period on adjacent commercial apple orchards in Southern Greece. The soil in both orchards was characterised as a clay loam-clay and was uniform in morphological and physical properties. The results indicated no significant differences in soil chemical properties between the different management systems, including soil organic matter (SOM), pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and C/N ratio. However, soil samples from the conventional orchard exhibited significantly higher values (p