Desarrollo y rendimiento de calabacín y lechuga cultivados sobre acolchados vivos en Cuenca, Ecuador

Abstract

Keeping soils covered through living mulches is one of the most widely reported strategies to reduce the risk of soil erosion on sloped lands. Nevertheless, soil covers application is not always compatible with the agronomic requirements of vegetable crops. Here, we assess the effect of two living mulches on development and yield of zucchini and lettuce, these crops are typically cultivated in peri-urban systems around Cuenca (Ecuador). A ran- domized complete block design with 5 replications and three treatments (clover mulch, managed spontaneous natural growth mulch and control) was used. Results shown that yield crops on some mulches are similar yields of those uncovered traditional crops systems. However, implementing and maintaining these mulch crops re- quired more economic resources and labor than uncover traditional crops. These result help identify potential limitations for the commercial implementation of living mulches in vegetable crops under Cuenca conditions and highlight the need to conducts local evaluations of soil conservation strategies.