Summary
This field study assessed soil quality in young almond orchards (1–6 years old) on marginal Mediterranean lands under contrasting management practices in northeast Spain. Using a multi-functional soil quality index framework, the authors found SQI scores of 0.55–0.75 across three orchards, indicating soils adequate for almond production but requiring management improvements such as organic amendments. The work establishes a replicable assessment framework for evaluating soil health in tree orchards during their establishment phase, addressing a gap in the literature on early-stage plantation soil quality.
UK applicability
Direct applicability to UK almond cultivation is limited due to Mediterranean climate differences and the specialised nature of almond production in temperate regions. However, the soil quality assessment methodology and multi-functional framework could inform UK tree orchard management practices and soil health monitoring protocols for other fruit/nut crops.
Key measures
Soil quality index (SQI) scores; composite soil samples analysed for filtering and buffering capacity, nutrient supply potential, water relations, and crop limitation factors
Outcomes reported
The study calculated soil quality indices for three young almond orchards under different management regimes (conventional rainfed, organic irrigated, and organic rainfed) based on four soil functions: filtering and buffering, nutrient supply, water relations, and crop limitation.
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