Agricultural soil degradation continues to be problematic in the United States and in the world. In order to address the issue of soil conservation in the context of small fruit horticulture, conventional and alternative production practices need to be evaluated to assess their impact on soil.;The strawberry experiment compared the effects of four weed management systems on weed presence, soil quality properties, and strawberry yield, plant growth and development. Conventional treatments were conventional herbicide and pre-plant methyl bromide soil fumigation + conventional herbicide use. Alternative treatments included killed-cover crop mixture of hairy vetch ( Vicia villosa) and cereal rye (Secale cereale) in year one (2004) followed by a living mulch of sorghum-sudangrass hybrid ( Sorghum bicolor) in 2005 and 2006 and straw mulch + compost + corn gluten meal. All weed management systems used in the experiment inhibited weed growth to comparable levels. The alternative weed management practice of adding straw mulch for weed control resulted in an increased number of earthworms and cation exchange capacity, which can be considered as improvements in soil quality. The largest effect observed on plant growth was the difference in yield between pre-plant fumigated and non-fumigated plots in the first two harvest years and the subsequent equilibrium in yield that was reached in the third year. The alternative weed management practices provided adequate weed control and did not reduce soil quality. However, their potentially negative effects on strawberry yield and plant growth indicated that more research is needed to develop these techniques before they can be recommended. Future research can investigate more closely variables that we have reported, such as which biological properties are the most effective indicators of soil quality and strawberry plant performance.;The second experiment compared the efficacy of two alternative weed management strategies with two forms of conventional vineyard weed management. Mature vineyard rows of \u27Marechal Foch\u27 grape were used in the study. Treatments included: (1) living mulch of creeping red fescue ( Festuca rubra), (2) straw mulch, (3) conventional pre and post-emergent herbicides, or (4) cultivation. In the study, living mulch and straw mulch treatment plots had lower percentage weed cover than, or was similar to, herbicide and cultivation plots. This shows that living or straw mulches have the potential to manage weed populations as well as, or better than, herbicides or cultivation. Bulk density was higher in plots treated with herbicides (1.44 g·cm -3) compared to plots covered with straw mulch (1.36 g·cm -3) or living mulch (1.33 g·cm-3). Average yield per vine, cluster number per vine, and average cluster weight were similar among treatments over all years. The alternative weed management practices provide excellent weed control and have the potential to improve soil quality. The reduced vigor of the grape plants in the living mulch treatment indicated a need for further investigation before living mulches can be recommended for commercial practice.;The on-farm, field trial consisted of cooperating with two strawberry growers to establish an on-farm soil quality trial plot to be used to evaluate the perceived usefulness of soil quality test kits. Interest and awareness of soil quality among Iowa small fruit growers was monitored by demonstrating the soil quality test kit at field days, presenting information about the research trial at regional conferences, and by conducting two mail-in questionnaires with the small fruit grower members of the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Grower\u27s Association. The use of a soil quality test kit at two Iowa fruit and vegetable farms showed that grower attitudes toward the usefulness of the kit can be enhanced by having growers use the kit in their fields and by seeing its effectiveness for themselves. Over the course of two years, the kits were used to monitor changes in soil quality indicators at grower farms based on differences in crop management and time of year. Cooperating strawberry growers felt that the information provided by the soil quality test kit was useful, but they were uncomfortable taking and interpreting the measurements themselves, suggesting that the kit would be used more effectively by persons with more expertise in the area of soil quality, such as extension personnel or qualified crop consultants. A questionnaire mailed to Iowa small fruit growers in 2005 and 2006 monitored growers\u27 responses to questions about awareness of the soil quality test kit and soil quality concepts. Interest in using a field test kit to monitor soil conditions to help improve crop productivity remained high throughout the study.
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