Olive groves are one of the most important agro-systems in the Mediterranean basin, and the Andalusia region produces the highest quantity of olive oil in Europe. The aim of this work was to evaluate the long-term (15 years) influence of two management practices in olive orchards\uffe2\uff80\uff94conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage with bare soil and herbicide application (NT + H)\uffe2\uff80\uff94on soil physical properties, infiltration capacity, erosion rates, and soil productivity. In addition, the short-term (2 years) influence of no tillage with cover crop management (NT-CC) on these parameters was also assessed. In the study area, CT and NT + H management practices showed unsustainable erosion values, 9.82 and 13.88 Mg ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 year\uffe2\uff88\uff921, respectively, while NT-CC inclusion decreased the erosion rates (2.06 Mg ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 year\uffe2\uff88\uff921). The implementation of NT-CC not only reduced erosion rates but also caused a change in the trend of soil productivity loss observed under CT and NT + H. In this sense, NT-CC showed a positive influence on soil quality. However, tillage removal led to a significant reduction in the infiltration capacity of soils under NT + H and NT-CC, which will be a serious handicap for water storage in an environment with continuous processes of water deficit.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "soil erosion", "S", "Cover crops", "olive orchards", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Olive orchards", "6. Clean water", "Soil productivity", "13. Climate action", "Soil erosion", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Degraded soil", "degraded soil", "cover crops", "soil productivity"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/4/812/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/4/812/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11040812"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agronomy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/agronomy11040812", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/agronomy11040812", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/agronomy11040812"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-04-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/horticulturae8070618", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-23T16:21:43Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-07-08", "title": "Crop Diversification Effects on Soil Aggregation and Aggregate-Associated Carbon and Nitrogen in Short-Term Rainfed Olive Groves under SemiaridMediterranean Conditions", "description": "Soil particle aggregation and their associated carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content can provide valuable diagnostic indicators of changes in soil properties in response to the implementation of different agricultural management practices. In this sense, there is limited knowledge regarding the impact of intercropping on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) pools in aggregates. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effect (4 years) of three crop diversifications in rainfed olive orchards on soil aggregation, SOC and TN concentration and SOC stocks (SOC-S) under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions. Olive orchards were diversified with Crocus sativus (D-S), Vicia sativa and Avena sativa in rotation (D-O) and Lavandula x intermedia (D-L) and compared with monocropping system (CT). Soil samples were collected at two depths (0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 and 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9330 cm) and analysed for soil aggregate mass, SOC and TN content in aggregate-size fractions obtained by the wet-sieving method. Changes caused by crop diversifications on SOC-S were also determined. Overall, after 4 years, a reduction in aggregation values was observed. However, D-S increased the macroaggregates (>250 \uffce\uffbcm) percentage, Mean Weigh Diameter values, and Geometric Mean Value in the 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 cm. Across treatments, aggregate-associated C in 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 cm was higher in the D-S treatment, while in the 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9330 cm soil layer, the greatest values were found in CT. Regarding the SOC-S, after 4 years, significant losses were recorded under CT management in 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 cm (\uffe2\uff88\uff921.21 Mg ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921) and 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9330 cm (\uffe2\uff88\uff920.84 Mg ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921), while D-O and D-L showed similar values to those obtained at the beginning of the study. The highest increases in SOC-S were found in D-S, with an increase of 5.88% in the 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 cm and 14.47% in the 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9330 cm. Our results showed the high potential of the diversified cropping system to increase soil stability and SOC sequestration.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "aggregate-associated organic carbon", "Intercropping", "olive orchards", "Plant culture", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Aggregate-associated organic carbon", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "intercropping", "Olive orchards", "olive orchards; intercropping; aggregate-associated organic carbon", "SB1-1110"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/7/618/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/7/618/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8070618"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Horticulturae", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/horticulturae8070618", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/horticulturae8070618", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/horticulturae8070618"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-07-08T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Olive+orchards&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Olive+orchards&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Olive+orchards&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=Olive+orchards&offset=2", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 2, "numberReturned": 2, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-06-23T22:25:20.480810Z"}