Advances on the effects of living mulches on soil health in orchards

Living mulch can affect soil health in orchards. We summarized the effects of living mulch on orchard soil physicochemical properties, nutrient status, and biological activities from 71 published papers. We found inconsistent reports on the effects of living mulch on several indicators of orchard soil health, such as soil pH, moisture, available macronutrients, and pathogens. We analyzed the applicability of current soil health assessment methods for orchard soils and found that there was a no method that properly orchard soil health. We suggest the development of an index system for soil health assessment suitable for orchards with different fruit trees. We proposed five essential indicators for this system. To support the development of customized living mulch techniques for different types of orchards, we suggested that further research on the mechanisms underlying the effects of living mulch on orchard soil health be carried out.