Javier Bautista & Omar D. Medina
Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Cátedra de Zoología Agrícola; Argentina
Abstract
In 2010 the province of Jujuy had 120 ha of strawberries in temperate valleys, distributed among 170 producers, 90 % of whom are family farmers. Management practices in this crop tend to be very intensive throughout its cycle. Some producers tend to rotate with other vegetables, but there are others who grow strawberries on strawberries, and the seedlings are renewed every year. These soil management practices lead to loss of soil quality, accumulation of strawberry-specific pathogens, and excessive use of agrochemicals that cause environmental contamination and residues above levels allowed in fresh fruit. The objective of this experiment was to use service crops (SC) to reduce tillage, avoid soil erosion, improve irrigation water use and minimise use of agrochemicals. The experiment was carried out in Santo Domingo town, Jujuy, Argentina, in a quarter of a hectare, where 9,000 strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) seedlings of the Camino Real variety were planted. After tillage, millet (Panicum miliaceum) was sown as a CS. The plot was left fallow until January, when the first cut of the CS was made, and deposited on the surface of the board. In February and March, further cuts were made and plastic mulching was applied; after one month, planting with bare-root seedlings took place. It is possible to reduce tillage by using CS as a biological strategy for planting bed preparation in strawberry cultivation.
