Terroir 2016 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The soil biodiversity as a support to environmental sustainability in vineyard

The soil biodiversity as a support to environmental sustainability in vineyard

Abstract

The environmental biodiversity is important to guarantee essential services to the living communities, its richness is a symptom of a minor disturbance and improves he environment biological quality. The edaphic communities, in particular, ensure plant development in natural habitats and cultivated land although the human intervention may disturbs their stability and equilibrium. The assessment of soil biodiversity, quite complex for the huge number of edaphic species and the limited availability of simple and inexpensive methods, is useful for estimating soil biological quality and the impact of the human activity. The QBS-ar method assess biodiversity and biological quality of the soil evaluating the microarthropods’ level of adaptation to the soil life. By applying this method, a study was carried out to assess soil biodiversity in vineyards, observe the variability between plots and estimate the influence of soil physical and chemical characteristics on edaphic community.

The study started in 2015 in the Barolo winegrowing area (north-west Italy). The area is characterized by soil homogeneity but wide geospatial heterogeneity, which is why the commercial vineyards under observation were also characterized by this point of view. For each vineyard pedological survey were executed analysing the soil profile, the chemical and physical composition, the soil hydrological constants and the microarthopods community.

In Barolo area, the abundance of individuals and the QBS-ar index showed diversity among the vineyards but were not affected by the weather variability or geospatial variability. It emerged a possible correlation with the physical characteristics of the soil, such as density and porosity; these properties are dependent on the soil texture but they also vary depending on the management practices. The index reveals a good potential for rapid assessment of elements linked to environmental quality although many aspects still remain to be defined including, for example, the relationships with crop management.

DOI:

Publication date: June 23, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2016

Type: Article

Authors

Elena MANIA (1), Mauro PIAZZI (2), Luca GANGEMI (1), Andrea Edmondo ROSSI (2), Fabrizio CASSI (2), Silvia GUIDONI (1)

(1) Departement of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Science, University of Turin, (I) – Lgo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco
(2) Timesis srl (I), Via Niccolini 7, San Giuliano Terme

Contact the author

Keywords

soil quality, soil hydrology, micro-arthropods, QBS-ar, Barolo

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2016

Citation

Related articles…

RED WINE AGING WITHOUT SO₂: WHAT IMPACT ON MICROBIAL COMMUNITY?

Nowadays, the use of food preservatives is controversial, SO2 being no exception. Microbial communities have been particularly studied during the prefermentary and fermentation stages in a context of without added SO2. However, microbial risks associated with SO2 reduction or absence, particularly during the wine aging process, have so far been little studied. The microbiological control of wine aging is a key issue for winemakers wishing to produce wines without added SO2. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of different wine aging strategies according to the addition or not of SO2 on the microbiological population levels and diversity.

Application to the wine sector of European Convention on the landscapes

The landscape is defined by the European convention of the landscape (Florence, October 20, 2000) like part of the territory as perceived by the populations, whose character results from the action of natural and/or human factors and their interrelationships. This convention is based on the contribution cultural, ecological, environmental, social of the landscapes and aims at a reinforcement of the tools of protection and valorization in particular in the agricultural policies, of regional planning and town planning. Moreover, it encourages a step of identification and qualification of the landscapes and underlines the need for developing the sensitizing and the training of the actors concerned.

On-farm monitoring of grapevine water and nitrogen status in relation to different soil management practices in Valais, Switzerland

In response to increasing societal demands for environmentally-friendly viticulture, winegrowers are adapting their cultivation techniques, particularly by reducing the use of herbicides.

METABOLIC INTERACTIONS OF SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE COCULTURES: A WAY TO EXTEND THE AROMA DIVERSITY OF CHARDONNAY WINE

Yeast co-inoculations in winemaking have been investigated in various applications, but most often in the context of modulating the aromatic profiles of wines. Our study aimed to characterize S. cerevisiae interactions and their impact on wine by taking an integrative approach. Three cocultures and corresponding pure cultures of S. cerevisiae were characterized according to their fermentative capacities, the chemical composition and aromatic profile of the associated Chardonnay wines. The various strains studied within the cocultures showed different behaviors regarding their development.

Exploring grapevine water relations in the context of fruit growth at pre- and post-veraison

Climate change is increasing the frequency of water deficit in many grape-growing regions. Grapevine varieties differ in their stomatal behavior during water deficit, and their ability to regulate water potential under dry soil conditions is commonly differentiated using the concept of isohydricity. It remains unclear whether stomatal behavior, water potential regulation, and the resulting degree of isohydricity has a relationship with changes to fruit growth during water deficit. This study was conducted on four varieties (`Cabernet Franc`, `Semillon`, `Grenache`, and `Riesling`) subjected to both short-term, severe water deficit and long-term, moderate water deficit applied at both pre- and post-veraison.