8 – Cropping Systems, Tillage and Crop Establishment

(Brigden, 2012)

This week's weblog covers the topic of mono-cropping and poly-cropping.

Mono-cropping vs Poly-cropping

Since the olive tree has got a life-span of hundreds of year, one profits by growing the plant on the same ground. Currently the crop is grown in a monocultural manner, as this bring a lot of economical benefits for the farmer with many negativities for the environment. However, cultivating the olive tree in a polycropping manner will come with a lot of challenges, since the crop is mainly grown in mountains and it can endure extreme temperatures. Therefore, the only manner in which intercropping is possible is when growing olive trees around vineyards (Reynolds, N.D.). Apart from this being a tradition, I believe that the only crop that is able to survive the environmental condition whereby the olive tree grows.

Intercropping method for olive tree

Because olive trees are planted around the vineyard, which results in them to function as a windbreak that protects the grapes against the wind. Besides, the climate is the main reason which makes both crops good companion of eachother and they are both self-pollinating meaning that neither need insects nor birds to carry pollen between flowers (Reynolds, N.D.). Moreover, growing a mixture of both crops has been said to work as a regional resistance to phyllorexia, a grapes’s disease. Finally, both olives and grapes are crops that were the one receives profit without needing to increase the amount of land.

Tillage method and equipement

Even though tillage is said to reduce competition to the crops from weeds, also helps with the burying of fertilizers and aims to reduce soil water evaporation. Tillage is on the other hand also the result in degradation of soil structure, severe soil erosion processes and high losses of soil organic carbon due to the high temperature of the Mediterranean. Therefore, the no-tillage management of olive groves can improve soil structure while maintaining yield (European Commission, 2015).

References

Brigden, S. (2012). Olive Trees and Grape Vines. Olive Trees and Grape Vines Certosa near Florence. Shirley Brigden Photography, Certosa, Italy. Retrieved November 23, 2017, from http://shirleybrigdenphotography.com/artwork/3594537-Olive-Trees-and-Grape-Vines-Certosa-near-Florence-Italy.html

European Commission. (2015). No-tillage management of olive groves can improve soil structure while maintaining yield. European Commission. Retrieved November 21, 2017

Reynolds, L. (N.D.). Why Are Olive Trees Planted Around Vineyards? Retrieved November 21, 2017, from SFGate: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/olive-trees-planted-around-vineyards-57257.html