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Influence of soil management practices on the arthropod diversity in Moroccan pomegranate orchard

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.7859
Submitted
21 February 2025
Published
23-06-2025
Versions

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to determine the composition and diversity of weed communities in the inter-rows of pomegranate orchards and to assess their impact on the abundance and diversity of arthropods. Weed diversity was assessed using the quadrat method, while arthropod sampling employed sweep netting, beating and collection shoot methods.  Samples were collected weekly during the pomegranate cycle development. The results revealed the identification of a total of 17 weed species from 11 families. In 2022, we found that the three most abundant families were Amaranthaceae, Fumariaceae and Poaceae, which accounted for more than 90 % of the total sampled weeds, with proportions of 74.30 %, 8.09 % and 7.36 %, respectively. In 2023, the most dominant families were Solanaceae (30.03 %), Amaranthaceae (25.11 %) and Poaceae (16.18 %).  Arthropods were associated with 12 weed species in 2022 but only 4 species in 2023, with Sonchus asper, Chenopodium album and Convolvulus arvensis hosting the highest arthropod abundance. While sweep netting sampling revealed no significant difference in arthropod abundance between years (p > 0.05). In addition, the shoot collection and beating methods revealed a significant positive effect of the weedy treatment on the abundance of beneficial arthropods (p < 0.05), with a significant difference observed between the two study years (p < 0.05).  However, climatic variations also influenced the results across the seasons, with weeds supporting greater arthropod diversity and abundance, compared to bare ground. These findings highlight the role of weeds as a sustainable orchard management practice, promoting arthropod biodiversity and ecosystem services in pomegranate orchards, which may contribute to improving the productivity and management of pomegranate cultivation.

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