terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences 9 2ICGWS-2023 9 The weak role of organic mulches in shaping bacterial communities in grapevine

The weak role of organic mulches in shaping bacterial communities in grapevine

Abstract

The interest in sustainable and ecologic agricultural practices in grapevine has grown significantly in recent years in the context of ecological transition. Organic mulches are treatments that support the circular economy and positively affect the soil and the plant. They are an alternative to herbicides and other conventional practices since they may influence soil moisture, erosion, structure and weed control. However, their effects on the soil and must microbiota remain unknown. Understanding the relationship between vineyard management and soil and plant microbiota may help to choose the optimal practices, reducing environmental impact and improving wine quality. We aimed to evaluate the effects of five soil management treatments on soil and must bacterial communities along three consecutive years using next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques. The study was performed in two vineyards of the same region (La Rioja, Spain). Two conventional treatments (Herbicide use and Under-row Tillage) were compared with three organic mulches applied on the vine row (Grapevine Pruning Debris, Spent Mushrooms Compost and Straw). The main factors affecting the soil bacterial community were year followed by location. The treatment effect on soil microbiota was weak and could only be found when analyzing each year and location individually. In particular, the bacterial communities of the conventional practices clustered in all years and locations. However, organic mulches were only grouped in the third year of study at both locations. Besides, the treatments did not affect the must bacterial communities and were driven by year and location. These results show that the practices have a weak effect compared to year or location and that their impact is detected in the soil but not in the must. Therefore, organic mulches could be a sustainable viticulture alternative. Moreover, the organic mulch effect has been enhanced over the years and farmers should use it in the long term.

DOI:

Publication date: October 3, 2023

Issue: ICGWS 2023

Type: Article

Authors

David Labarga1*, Andreu Mairata1, Miguel Puelles1, María de Toro3, Jordi Tronchoni2, Alicia Pou1

1Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino, CSIC, Gobierno de la Rioja, Universidad de La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
2Faculty of Health Sciences, Valencian International University, 46002 Valencia, Spain
3Centro de Investigación Biomédica de La Rioja (CIBIR), 26006, Logroño, Spain

Contact the author*

Keywords

microbiota, vineyard, herbicides, soil management and agriculture

Tags

2ICGWS | ICGWS | ICGWS 2023 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Unveiling a hidden link: does time hold the key to altered spectral signatures of grapevines under drought?

Remote sensing technology captures spectral data beyond the visible range, making it useful for monitoring plant stress. Vis-NIR (Visible-Near Infrared) spectroscopy (400-1000 nm) is commonly used to indirectly assess plant status during drought. One example is the widespread use of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) that is strongly linked to green biomass. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding the applicability of this method to all the drought conditions and if it is a direct correlation to the water status of the plant.

Inert gases persistence in wine storage tank blanketing

It is common to find tanks in the winery with wine below their capacity due to wine transfers between tanks of different capacities or the interruption of operations for periods of a few days. This situation implies the existence of an ullage space in the tank with prolonged contact with the wine causing its absorption/oxidation. Oxygen uptake from the air headspace over the wine due to differences in the partial pressure of O2 can be rapid, up to 1.5 mL of O2 per liter of wine in one hour and 100 cm2 of surface area1 and up to saturation after 4 hours.

New tool to evaluate color modifications during oxygen consumption in white and red wines

Measuring the effect of oxygen consumption on the color of wines as the level of dissolved oxygen decreases over time is very useful to know how much oxygen a wine can consume without significantly altering its color. The changes produced in wine after being exposed to high oxygen concentrations have been studied by different authors, but in all cases the wine has been analyzed once the oxygen consumption process has been completed. This work presents the results obtained with the use of an equipment designed and made to measure simultaneously the level of dissolved oxygen and the spectrum of the wine, during the oxygen consumption process from saturation levels with air to very low levels, which indicate the total consumption of the dosed oxygen[1,2].

Sparkling wines and atypical aging: investigating the risk of refermentation

Sparkling wine (SW) production entails a two-steps process where grape must undergoes a primary fermentation to produce a base wine (BW) which is then refermented to become a SW. This process allows for the development of a new physicochemical profile characterized by the presence of foam and a different organoleptic profile.

The colour pattern of flower arrangements influence wine tasters’ sensory description

The arrangements of flowers and wine counterparts are inextricably linked. Whether a fundamental aspect of tablescaping or acolytes to broader entertainment rituals, they have an entangled history since ancient times. The aim of this contribution is to verify the influence of visually delicate and robust flower arrangements on individual description of wines. Changes in the sensory description of wines were investigated during subjects’ (thirty-two participants) exposure to three different conditions: the presence of delicate, robust, or totally absent flower arrangements. In each condition, the same two wines were blind tasted: a wine previously defined as delicate – a Pinot Noir from Australia, and a wine known for its robust character – a Tannat from Uruguay.