terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences 9 2ICGWS-2023 9 Indicators of Sustainable Vineyard Soil Management: Metrics for Assessing Environmental Impacts

Indicators of Sustainable Vineyard Soil Management: Metrics for Assessing Environmental Impacts

Abstract

The vital role of soils in supporting life on our planet cannot be overstated. Soils provide numerous ecosystem services and functions, including biomass production, carbon sequestration, physical support, biological habitat, and genetic reserve, among others. Understanding the characteristics and sensitivity of soils in a specific terroir, along with effective soil management practices, is crucial for the sustainable management of natural resources.

To address this issue, we aimed to develop a concise set of indicators to assess soil quality in vineyards. By creating a protocol or guide for winemakers, we can enable them to conduct a basic evaluation of their soil’s quality.

To do so, we have mined the literature, from over 600.000 articles on the subject of “soil health” we selected the 100 most relevant and recent documents. Then, we have identified a set of 12 descriptors belonging to 4 categories that can be easily determined by the farmers to assess the quality of their soils using protocols that will be soon available online. The first category includes descriptors of the status of the soils and the 3 remaining categories contain descriptors related to physical, chemical, and biological quality. To have a more precise description of the soil quality, we have identified a set of 6 additional descriptors requiring more complex equipment and aimed at the scientific community. Amongst these indicators, certain microbes play crucial roles in enhancing plant adaptability to various abiotic and biotic stresses and can serve as valuable indicators of soil health. The microbial community of a field with different plowing practices has been assessed through metagenomic techniques in a maize rotation involving cover crops and this approach will be implemented, over the course of this project, in vineyards of varying age, soil management (till versus no-till) and grape color.

Acknowledgements: Plan Complementario de I+D+i de Agroalimentación AGROALNEXT dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia financiado por la Unión Europea – Next Generation EU.

DOI:

Publication date: October 3, 2023

Issue: ICGWS 2023

Type: Article

Authors

Emily Silva Araujo1, Jérôme Grimplet2,3*, Vicente González-García1,3, Inés Zugasti López1 , Pedro Marco-Montori2,3, María José Rubio-Cabetas2,3, Sergio Sánchez2,3, Sergi García- Barreda 2,3, Ramón Isla1, Farida Dechmi1,3 and José Manuel Mirás-Avalos1

1 Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Departamento de Ciencia Vegetal, Gobierno de Aragón, Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
2 Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Departamento de Sistemas Agrícolas, Forestales y Medio Ambiente, Gobierno de Aragón, Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
3 Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón—IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), Calle Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain

Contact the author*

Keywords

sustainable management, soil quality indicators, microbiome

Tags

2ICGWS | ICGWS | ICGWS 2023 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Moderate wine consumption – part of a balanced diet or a health risk?

Consumption of wine/alcoholic beverages remains a topic of great uncertainty and controversy worldwide. The term “no safe level” dominates the media communication and policy ever since population studies in 2018 [1,2] were published, which denied the existence of a J-curve and suggested that ANY consumption of an alcoholic beverage is harmful to health. The scientific evidence accumulated during the past decades about the health benefits of moderate wine consumption, were questioned and drinking guidelines considered to be too loose.

Viticultural heritage in mountain territories of Catalonia: prospecting in the region of Osona, northern Spain

The recovery of ancestral or minority vine varieties has been gaining great interest in recent years, among other reasons because it is likely that some of these varieties, due to the fact that they are found in relict areas, have a greater potential for adaptation to external factors (biotic or abiotic) and can minimize the effects that climate change is causing in viticulture. Varieties that can be grown at altitude are currently being sought to combat rising temperatures and prolonged extreme drought conditions. In Catalonia, the Pyrenean expansion of vineyard cultivation is documented from the 10th century and has been related to the “small climatic optimum” (9th-12th centuries) and also to seigniorial power.[1] But different adverse climatic periods and the arrival of Phylloxera by the late 19th century made many of these crops disappear.[2]

How are canned wine drinkers perceived? An investigation involving Swiss nationals and different scenarios of outdoor leisure activities

This study examines how people who consume wine in cans are perceived in terms of their basic personality characteristics, helps understand the role of cultural background on people’s perception, and verify the role played by the consumption context on the perception. Our hypothesis is that prejudice and negative attitudes towards wine in cans might exert a negative effect on the evaluation of people who consume canned wine. To evaluate this hypothesis, the consumption of wine in cans was evoked in four different contexts of use during outdoor leisure activity (beach resort, ski resort, desert safari, and party). In order to examine the effect of culture on subject’s response we use participants from Switzerland, a country where three different cultures, associated with three different languages, cohabit.

Retrospective analysis of our knowledge regarding the genetics of relevant traits for rootstock breeding 

Rootstocks were the first sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy to cope with a major threat for Vitis vinifera cultivation. In addition to providing Phylloxera resistance, they play an important role in protecting against other soil-borne pests, such as nematodes, and in adapting V. vinifera to limiting abiotic conditions. Today viticulture has to adapt to ongoing climate change whilst simultaneously reducing its environmental impact. In this context, rootstocks are a central element in the development of agro-ecological practices that increase adaptive potential with low external inputs. Despite the apparent diversity of the Vitis genus, only few rootstock varieties are used worldwide and most of them have a very narrow genetic background. This means that there is considerable scope to breed new, improved rootstocks to adapt viticulture for the future.

Effects of long-term drought stress on soil microbial communities from a Syrah cultivar vineyard

Changes in the rainfall and temperature patterns affect the increase of drought periods becoming one of the major constraints to assure agricultural and crop resilience in the Mediterranean regions. Beside the adaptation of agricultural practices, also the microbial compartment associated to plants should be considered in the crop management. It is known that the microbial community change according to several factors such as soil composition, agricultural management system, plant variety and rootstock.