Microbial consortia as a tool for sustainable vineyard management: A study on their acceptance among Veneto region’s grape-growers

Abstract

In recent years, sustainability has become a key focus in agriculture, including viticulture. A major challenge is managing abiotic and biotic stresses, which requires adopting sustainable management models to combat climate change, threatening food security for billions. It also aims to address the declining health of the environment and biodiversity, further weakening agricultural systems.

Future prospects are concerning. Studies confirm that rising temperatures will cause earlier phenological phases in viticulture and increase the risk of water deficits, even with unchanged rainfall, due to higher transpiration. These stresses will reduce product quality and may jeopardize the sustainability of viticulture, especially in regions with traditional varieties more sensitive to climatic and biotic stresses (Alikadic et al., 2019; Bonfante et al., 2018). Therefore, to cope with climate change and increasing stresses, adopting novel sustainable crop protection techniques is essential to support plants and enhance viticulture resilience (Chitarra et al., 2015; Sandrini et al., 2023).

In this context, harnessing the potential of microbes to enhance crop health, resilience, and safety offers a promising solution to address climate change and ensure future food production and quality. Plant-associated microorganisms have shown great potential in helping plants cope with harsh conditions, improving agriculture’s capacity to adapt to climate change. Symbiotic microorganisms organized in microbial consortia present a viable agroecological crops protection (ACP) strategy for modern agriculture, enhancing crop health and resilience without compromising quality (Marco et al., 2022; Sandrini et al., 2022).

Microbial consortia could be particularly effective in viticulture. These communities enhance plants’ resilience to various stresses, ensuring i) stable yields and high grape quality, ii) reduced plant protection costs, and iii) minimized negative impacts of traditional methods on human and environmental health Sandrini et al., 2022).

From a legislative perspective, the use of microbial communities as a sustainable approach aligns with the objectives of the European Commission’s Green Deal and the New Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which aims to reduce pesticide use in the future. Additionally, the use of microbial consortia for biotic stress control is encouraged at both the community and Italian levels. Their importance and acceptance are reinforced by EU Directive 128/2009/EC and the Italian Legislative Decree n°150 of 14th August 2012, which support the adoption of sustainable alternative techniques like microbial communities to reduce reliance on traditional plant protection products, while also providing economic savings for farmers.

Despite technical studies demonstrating the positive impact of microbial communities on plant resistance and reduced chemical inputs, the success of these products largely depends on farmers’ acceptance and adoption. While data on sustainable practices among farmers is limited, it is believed that wineries’ sustainability levels are still insufficient and need improvement (Cullen et al., 2013; Golicic, 2021). In the literature, several demographic and socioeconomic factors have been suggested as reasons for the low adoption (Lefebvre et al., 2015; Parsa et al., 2014; Rossi et al., 2019; Zeweld et al., 2017), with studies highlighting that if the costs of innovation outweigh commercial benefits, adoption becomes economically unfeasible (Cullen et al., 2013). However, few studies have explored the role of socio-psychological factors. As a result, there is still a need for further research to understand why and how farmers adopt new technologies and sustainable practices (Yazdanpanah et al., 2014; Zeweld et al., 2017).