Ecosystemic services enhanced through regenerative practices in viticulture

Abstract

Soil health is essential for many ecosystem services in agroecosystems like crop production, climate regulation, and biodiversity conservation. Agricultural soils have been degraded due to conventional practices, such as tillage or pesticide use, which cause erosion, loss of biodiversity, and decreases in soil organic matter, porosity and aggregation that lead to soil compaction. This problem is exacerbated in the Mediterranean region, the most susceptible region in Europe to soil degradation and desertification, showing the highest erosion rates and the lowest content of soil organic carbon (SOC), which is a key indicator for soil health due to its role in nutrient storage and availability, and in the formation of soil structure that helps to reduce erosion and to increase water retention. Among Mediterranean crops, vineyards exhibit the highest rates of soil loss and the lowest SOC levels because they are very prone to erosion due to their usual location in sloping terrains and because the soil is often left bare during most of the year. Regenerative practices, such as green covers, reduced tillage and organic fertilization are being adopted in vineyards with the objective of improving soil quality, and thus, ecosystem services (Abad et al., 2021; Schreefel et al., 2020). We tested the effect of these practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, water infiltration and biodiversity, in vineyards located in Catalonia, Spain. Our results showed a lower soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, water infiltration rates and abundance of soil arthropods and pollinators, as well as a change in microbial communities in vineyards managed with tillage, compared with vineyards managed with cover crops. We also observed an increase in soil erosion due to rain after tiling events, and a positive effect of organic fertilizer on SOC. To conclude, our results show that the implementation of regenerative practices is important to achieve higher SOC stock and to enhance ecosystem services in Mediterranean vineyards. Longer-term studies are necessary to observe the changes that these practices can generate in soil biogeochemical cycles through changes in the microbiome and soil structure, especially in the Mediterranean region, for being this the most susceptible region in Europe to soil degradation and desertification. Studies in different soil and climatic conditions are important to understand how these factors influence soil response and aid local management decision-making.

References

Abad, J., de Mendoza, I. H., Marin, D., Orcaray, L., & Santesteban, L. G. (2021). Cover crops in viticulture. A systematic review (1): Implications on soil characteristics and biodiversity in vineyard. Oeno One, 55(1), 295-312. doi:10.20870/oeno-one.2021.55.1.3599.

Schreefel, L., Schulte, R. P. O., de Boer, I. J. M., Schrijver, A. P., & van Zanten, H. H. E. (2020). Regenerative agriculture – the soil is the base. Global Food Security-Agriculture Policy Economics and Environment, 26. doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100404.