Cover crop management and termination timing have different effects on the maturation and water potentials of Glera (Vitis vinifera L.) in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Abstract
Inter-row soil tillage in vineyards, stimulates vigor and production due to the absence of competition for water and nutrients, however negatively affects organic matter content, soil erosion, and compaction, resulting in reduced fertility. In this study, we investigated the effects of different cover crop management approaches, including cultivation type and termination timing, on the physiological and productive responses of a Glera vineyard.
The experimental trial was conducted in Precenicco (UD) from 2019 to 2021. A commercial mixture for autumn cover cropping was sown in alternating rows, and the sowing pattern was changed each year. Four cover crop management treatments were tested: buried cover crop (T) and only shredded (S), combined with two treatment timings: early (E) and late treatment (L).
During the 2020-2021 seasons, data of stem water potential, maturation curves, productivity, and soil biological characteristics were collected during the summer and at harvest.
The treatments did not have a significant effect on grapevine production in terms of bunch number, production per plant, and average bunch weight. However, the treatment tilled late (TL) showed higher concentrations of titratable acidity, lower concentrations of soluble sugars and pH compared to the other treatments. Furthermore, the same significantly increased the values of soil microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2) compared to the other treatments.
The termination timing had a noticeable effect on the T treatments in terms of stem water potential. TL exhibited the highest stem water potential, whereas the TE treatment had the lowest values. Additionally, these two treatments displayed the most contrasting trends in terms of stem water potential. These findings suggest that termination timing had a more pronounced impact on tilled soils compared to shredded soils.
DOI:
Issue: ICGWS 2023
Type: Poster
Authors
1 Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine,Via Delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy
2 Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy3 CREA Research Centre for Vitiaculture and Enology, branch of Gorizia, via Trieste 23, I-34170 Gorizia, Italy