A field evaluation of the impact of temporary cover crops on soil properties and vegetation communities in southern Spain vineyards

G Guzmán,J.M Cabezas,R Sánchez-Cuesta,Á Lora,T Bauer,P Strauss,S Winter,J.G Zaller,J.A Gómez

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2018.11.010

Abstract

Transition from bare soil to temporary cover crop-based soil management has been promoted for at least two decades in vineyards in southern Spain. However, there is limited field evaluation of its impact at commercial vineyard level. Our study evaluates the impact of these two soil managements in sixteen commercial vineyards in Southern Spain. Selected soil physical, chemical and biological properties were measured in a representative inter-row of each vineyard during 2015-2016. Overall, the temporary cover crop vineyard presented a significant improvement in soil organic carbon content and aggregate stability in comparison to the bare soil vineyards, 73 and 29% respectively, as well as presenting more diverse plant communities. Nevertheless, there was a large variability among vineyards that preclude the identification of other impacts and differences among the different kind of temporary cover crops followed by the winegrowers. A refined analysis concentrated in the eleven vineyards on more calcareous soils distinguishing among bare soil, spontaneous cover crop of low biomass production, spontaneous cover crop of high biomass production and barley cover crop of high biomass production was performed. It resulted in a larger improvement in soil properties in the vineyards having a spontaneous cover crop of high biomass production followed by the ones having a cover crop with barley. It also showed how the spontaneous cover crop of low biomass production presented a moderate or negligible improvement in soil properties as compared to the bare soil vineyards. In general terms, the best strategy seemed to be the vineyards with spontaneous cover crops that were able to achieve a high biomass production, above 0.91 t ha−1 per year, which also presented a high plant diversity. Our results indicate the need for a proper evaluation of the impact of cover crop-based management based on vineyard assessment of soil properties and their relation with driving variables, as in our case biomass production and composition of the cover crops.

Highlights

Soil is a core element for the provision of ecosystems services so, the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES, 2011) considers soil formation and composition as well as mass stabilization and control of erosion rates within the Regulation and the Maintenance section
It resulted in a larger improvement in soil properties in the vineyards having a spontaneous cover crop of high biomass production followed by the ones having a cover crop with barley
This paper presents the results of a study aiming at evaluating the impact of the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) in vineyards of an Appellation of Origin in a Southern Spain with these objectives: 1 To evaluate the impact of the soil management commonly used in the study region on selected soil and vegetation parameters in the vineyard inter-rows that can provide carbon sequestration, soil fertility, erosion control and plant biodiversity

Summary

Introduction

Soil is a core element for the provision of ecosystems services so, the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES, 2011) considers soil formation and composition as well as mass stabilization and control of erosion rates within the Regulation and the Maintenance section. The maintenance of biological, chemical, physical conditions of soils including fertility and nutrient storage, or soil structure and erosion control, vegetation cover protection and vegetation on slopes are relevant issues All these ecosystem services depend on soil properties and their interaction, being mostly influenced by their use and management (Adhikari and Hartemink, 2016). At the European level, the CAP urges the Member States through national and regional policies to implement Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) Among others, they promote the implementation of agricultural practices such as the use of cover crops to limit soil erosion and the maintenance or increase of vegetation cover, and increasing soil Corg stocks (Borrelli et al, 2016)

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