Organic Orchard Floor Management Systems for Apple Effect on Rootstock Performance in the Midwestern United States

摘要

In organic apple production systems, orchard floor management is of prime importance because it determines weed management and soil fertility. In this experiment, we evaluated the response of the cultivar Pacific Gala on three rootstocks of different vigor: M1.9 NAKB 337, M.9 RN 29, and Supporter 4 (in respective order of vigor from dwarfing to semivigorous). The rootstocks were also evaluated for the response to three orchard floor management systems (OFMSs): mulching using alfalfa hay, flame burning, and shallow strip tillage using the Swiss sandwich system (SSS). The experiment was conducted in an experimental orchard planted in 2000.