Management of covers crops in viticulture to improve the ecological quality of soils

Abstract

Soil quality and its virtuous management are one of the levers for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Soil management practices are also a key element in the economic viability of farms, in a context of increasing input and energy costs. At the same time, the agroecological transition in viticulture is leading to a shift with increased complexity in soil management strategies (spatial and temporal combinations of diversified cover crops and tillage practices). The ViVerSol project (2025-2027) aims to identify and transfer economically and technically viable strategies for managing cover crops in vineyard soils, enabling long-term improvement in the ecological quality of soils (biodiversity and organic matter). 

The project works with two groups of French winegrowers in Southwest (Tarn) and Mediterranean areas (Pyrénées-Orientales), actively engaged in the agroecological transition. Such an experimental strategy aims to acquire references at the production system scale, in contrasting climatic contexts within the Occitanie region, and at the forefront of technical innovations used by winegrowers. An initial inventory and typology of the cover crop management strategies implemented within these collectives were carried out, to identify the main management options that raise questions for winegrowers and researchers: floristic composition, spatial arrangement and rotation, methods of destroying. The acquisition of references in the project thus focuses on the impact of cover crop management on soil ecological quality and functioning, through the measurement of the soil biodiversity (microorganisms and nematodes), the soil carbon stock and soil compaction. Our network includes a total of 60 measuring points. This work should help to raise awareness, train and equip winegrowers and advisors to consider the biological quality of the soil through the design of their cover crop management. Ultimately, this project will help support winegrowers towards better management of the ecological quality of soils in the long term, to improve the sustainability of viticulture.