Weed management in organic orchards with strawberry species as living mulch

Soil and weed management in organic orchards is a key factor for a sustainable production. Recent studies highlight the benefits of grassing soil management techniques, benefits for sustainability and resilience of the agro-ecosystem. Living mulch with comestible species in organic apricot orchard are here evaluated as a technique that combine the benefits from soil cover and the economic value of the secondary production. In particular, strawberry species were selected for their life cycle that is well adapted for a living mulch in a fruit orchard. Results show that strawberries can positively compete with wild species in covering the soil without disturbing the main culture. Comparing the results of the different tested species, it is evident that the performance of the living mulch species depends greatly on the climatic conditions. Therefore, the choice of a species well adapted to environmental conditions is essential in order to reach a good soil cover and control undesired species.