Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Soil management as a key factor on vineyard behavior under semiarid conditions: effects on soil biological activity, plant water and nutrient status, and grape yield and quality

Soil management as a key factor on vineyard behavior under semiarid conditions: effects on soil biological activity, plant water and nutrient status, and grape yield and quality

Abstract

Aims: Viticulture practices linked with soil management, as cover crops and deficit irrigation, can help to regulate the vineyard behavior reducing in most cases plant vigor and modifying plant water and nutrient status, and as a consequence, grape yield and quality. Also, these practices can modify the soil biological activity mostly related to microbiome diversity and functionality. However, the overall effect of these agricultural practices depends on the soil water availability, the soil fertility, and the grape cultivar response. Under semiarid conditions, the intensity of competition for water and nutrients associated to cover crop practice can be a handicap for a regulation of grape yield and quality. Also, the effect of cover crops on soil biology under those conditions is poorly understood.

Methods and Results: In the present work we present results of a three year’s experiment studying the effect of combining natural green cover and deficit irrigation on soil microbiome, plant water and nutritional status, and grape yield and quality, in two contrasting genotypes. Changes in functional diversity of microbiomes were mainly associated with soil moisture and also changed throughout the vegetative period. Nevertheless, organic matter decomposition assays determined that the maintenance of the cover implies not only a higher rate of decomposition of organic matter but also that a less fraction of it is degraded, favoring the accumulation of carbon in the soil. Under our experimental conditions, green cover reduced plant growth and yield due to an excess of competition for water regardless of genotype. However, the cover crop had a positive effect on grape quality increasing sugar and phenolic content. 

Conclusions: 

The maintenance of cover crop in vineyards under semiarid areas such as the Mediterranean basin, generates a balance between positive effects such as the increase of organic C in the soil or the improvement of the quality of the grape and negative effects such as the decrease in the availability of water in the soil or the decline of yields.

Significance and Impact of the Study: This study has shown that more sustainable soil management practices can have clear positive effects on the environmental services of the agroecosystem and yield quality. These results open a window to explore this type of management in less studied environments such as the Mediterranean.

DOI:

Publication date: March 25, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type : Video

Authors

José M. Escalona1,2*, Antonia Romero-Munar1, Josefina Bota1,2, Maurici Mus1, Elena Baraza1,2

Research Group of Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions. Biology Department of Balearic Island University, Ctra Valldemossa km 7,5. 07122 Palma, Spain
Agro-Environmental and Water Economy Research Institute (INAGEA), Ctra Valldemossa km 7,5. 07122 Palma, Spain

Contact the author

Keywords

Cover crop, microbiome, grapevine, ecosystem services

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Impacts of fumaric acid addition at the bottling on Cabernet Sauvignon wine quality. Comparison with tartaric acid addition.

Climate change and reduction of inputs are two major challenges for viticulture and oenology. With increasing temperature, wines become less acid and microbiologically less stable (1).

Caratterizzazione delle produzioni vitivinicole dell’ area del Barolo: un’esperienza pluridisciplinare triennale (5)

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

The use of cation exchange resins for wine acidity adjustment: Optimization of the process and the effects on tartrate formation and oxidative stability

Acidity adjustments are key to microbial control, sensory quality and wine longevity. Acidification with cation exchange resins -in acid cycle- offers the possibility to reduce the pH by exchanging wine cations, such as potassium (K+), for hydrogen ions (H+). During the exchange process, the removal of potassium and calcium ions contributes to limiting the formation of tartrate salts, thus offering an alternative solution to conventional methods for tartrate stability. Moreover, the reduction of wine pH and the removal of metals catalyzers (e.g. iron) could positively impact the wine’s oxidative stability. Therefore, the aims of this work were (a) to optimize the ion exchange process by testing different volumes and concentrations of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) during the acid cycle, (b) evaluate the effects of the ion exchange process on the formation of tartrate salts, and (c) analyze the oxidative stability of the treated wines.

“Gheo” per la vitivinicoltura: un progetto per la produzione dl vini dl alta qualità

Il settore primario, ed in particolare quello agricolo, sta attraversando un periodo partico­larmente delicato. Sia gli aspetti della produzione che quelli della commercializzazione ven­gono infatti messi in discussione da nuovi indirizzi economici e tecnologici.

The role and quantification of vitamins in wine: what do we know?

AIM: Vitamins are essential compounds to numerous organisms, including yeasts, and appear highly significant during winemaking processes.