Management of Vegetation in Orchard Boundaries by Mowing: Effect on Cover, Richness, and Community Composition

A two-year study of the margins of five stone fruit orchards located close to Barcelona (Spain) was performed to examine the effect of different mowing treatments on plant biodiversity and cover. Each margin was split into five plots randomly arranged to test five mowing treatments: no mowing; one mowing in spring; one mowing in autumn; two mowings in spring and autumn; and three mowings in spring, summer and autumn. Biodiversities and plant covers, which were obtained three times per year, were compared using a mixed analysis of variance followed by means comparison tests. Partial canonical correspondence analysis was performed to evaluate the contribution of environmental variables in species composition. We would recommend one mowing in autumn because neither mean richness nor mean total cover differed from the highest obtained.