Impacts of groundcover management systems on yield, leaf nutrients, weeds, and arthropods of tart cherry in Michigan, USA

Three different assemblages of cover crops were planted, fertilizer and herbicide input reduced, and mulch side-delivered in a northern Michigan tart cherry orchard to evaluate effects on tree leaf nutrients, arthropod communities, weed control, and tart cherry yield. The three treatments were compared against the conventional management system, which consisted of sod alleys and herbicide-maintained tree rows. Although fertilizer was reduced by 1/2 and herbicides eliminated in the ground cover management systems (GMSs), there was no evidence of reduced cherry yields. All GMSs provided more plant cover than the unmanipulated sod control. Biomass samples suggested that there was not enough side-delivery mulch to significantly reduce understory weed growth in the tree rows when compared to the non-mulched plots. The GMSs increased species richness, abundance, and diversity (H′) of arthropods, despite frequent pesticide applications in all treatments. The results of the economic analysis suggest that cover cropping, half N fertilizer, and herbicide elimination may be a viable alternative to conventional groundcover management in northern Michigan.