At present and more so in the future, irrigated agriculture will take place under water scarcity. Insufficient supply for irrigation be norm rather than exception, management shift from emphasizing production per unit area towards maximizing of consumed, productivity. To cope with scarce supplies, deficit irrigation, defined as application below full crop-water requirements (evapotranspiration), is an important tool to achieve goal reducing use. While widely practised over millions hectares...

According to the European Environment Agency, Southern Europe is one of regions facing most serious soil degradation issues, mainly due adverse edapho-climatic conditions and unsustainable agricultural practices [1]. In Spain, National Soil Erosion Inventory reports an average loss 30 t ha-1 yr-1 [2], with highest erosion rates observed in woody crops bare management [2]. The intensification tillage use herbicides control herbaceous vegetation has yielded agronomic benefits for olive groves...

Microplastic concentration is increasing in the terrestrial environments from primary to secondary sources, leading concern about their impact on soil-plant water uptake and subsurface storage. However, of microplastic at pore-scale level remains elusive, making it difficult explain in-silico behavior soil water. Physical models can potentially identify microplastic's implications for capillary film content conductivity than mathematical modeling. The effect microplastics flow investigated...

Cover crops are widely employed in woody cropping systems as a strategy for soil protection and restoration, aimed at preventing erosion degradation. However, their successful implementation faces significant challenges across diverse edaphoclimatic conditions, such arid semiarid environments highly degraded soils.This study aims to evaluate the effects of various agricultural inputs (organic fertilizers amendments) on cover crop characteristics (emergence, plant phenology, aboveground...

<title>Abstract</title> In this work, vegetation growth was measured in hedgerows composed of trees, shrubs and bushes one year after planting an experimental agricultural field southern Spain. Seventeen (4×20 m) were planted with different management strategies, resulting from combining: pre-planting tillage or no-tillage; deficit irrigation rainfed; use anti-weed mesh not, grow tubes not. Hedgerow implantation costs also calculated. Our results suggested that for semi-arid Mediterranean...

Abstract Natural resource conservation should be fundamental to organic agriculture, including the prevention of soil erosion. Soil erosion in olive orchards southern Spain is recognized as a serious problem causing environmental, economic and social repercussions, both on off-site. This study describes changes management practices that accompanied shift from conventional farming corresponding effect those risk province Córdoba, Andalusia. Interviews with 107 farmers were carried out two...

SummaryTree density in newly planted olive orchards has been increasing steadily as part of the intensification oil production. Because importance that harvest costs have on profitability this crop, mechanisation harvesting operations an important goal. Hedgerow plantations at very high densities proposed a means reducing by using over-the-tree harvester. We conducted 8-year experiment Cordoba, Southern Spain, to evaluate performance four planting included: a) conventional under irrigated...

Abstract This study evaluates soil properties in organically managed olive groves and natural zones a mountainous area of Andalusia, Spain. Two types (Eutric Regosol Eutric Cambisol) the most common management methods (tillage two intensities grazing) were studied. Both had values not much lower than those areas. Average (±SE) 1.58 ± 0.71% for organic carbon, 323 98 g kg −1 macroaggregate stability, 1.11 0.16 cm −3 bulk density, 3.5 1.6 mm h saturated hydraulic conductivity 1209 716 mg CO 2...

Abstract This study evaluated the most significant physical, chemical and biological soil properties from a group of organic olive farms located in typical olive-growing area Andalusia, Spain, after 5 or more years since shift conventional to farming, compared soils with those nearby undisturbed (U) natural areas. Two management systems implemented these control weeds, tillage (T), characterized by non-inverting-shallow spring, mechanical mowing (M), were against U Organic orchards showed...

Nowadays, smart irrigation is becoming an essential goal in agriculture, where water and energy are increasingly limited resources. Its importance will grow the coming years agricultural sector optimal use of resources environmental sustainability more important every day. However, implementing not easy task for most farmers since it based on knowledge different processes factors that determine crop requirements. Thanks to technological developments, possible design new tools such as sensors...

Soil is polluted with plastic waste from macro to submicron level. Our understanding of macroplastics (> 5 mm) occurrence and behavior has remained comparatively elusive, mainly due a lack tracing mechanism. This study set up methodology trace macroplastic displacement, which combined magnetic iron oxide-tagged soil pieces tagged by an adhesive passive radiofrequency identification transponder. By utilizing these techniques, field was carried out analyze the effect tillage implement sizes on...

This study reports on the development of remote sensing methods for estimation biophysical parameters in olive orchards. Field and airborne campaigns were conducted 2003 2004 two orchards located southern Spain. Ground measurements crown transmittance leaf area index (LAI) individual trees ( Olea europaea L.) done using LAI‐2000 Plant Canopy Analyzer. Hyperspectral images acquired with a compact spectrographic imager (CASI) at 1‐m spatial QuickBird satellite sensor 2.5‐m resolution. The...