Abstract
Cover crop (CC) management in vineyards increases sustainability by improving soil chemical and biological fertility, but knowledge on its effects in semiarid soils is lacking. This study evaluated the effect of leguminous CC management on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, soil nitrate content and microbial diversity in a semiarid vineyard, in comparison to conventional tillage (CT). SOC and nitrate were monitored during vine-growing season; soil respiration, determined by incubation experiments, microbial biomass and diversity was analyzed after CC burial. The microbial diversity was evaluated by bacterial and fungal automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and high-throughput sequencing of 16SrDNA. CC increased nitrate content and, although it had no relevant effect on SOC, almost doubled its active microbial component, which contributes to SOC stabilization. An unexpected stability of the microbial communities under different soil managements was assessed, fungal diversity being slightly enhanced under CT while bacterial diversity increased under CC. The complete nitrifying genus Nitrospira and plant growth-promoting genera were increased under CC, while desiccation-tolerant genera were abundant in CT. Findings showed that temporary CC applied in semiarid vineyards does not optimize the provided ecosystem services, hence a proper management protocol for dry environments should be set up.
Highlights
Effective measures are required to help moving towards evidence-based, sustainable agriculture that can mitigate the effects of climate change and benefit people, nature and their joint futures [1].Cover cropping is considered one of the most effective solutions for implementing the multiple ecosystem services in orchards; it has been widely promoted by agricultural policy in the European Union and was included in the regional development plan as a “Best Environmental Management Practice” [2]
Several studies indicated the positive effect of cover crops management in vineyards, the present study contributes to provide additional information on the role of leguminous cover crops in a semiarid environment
The negligible effect of cover crop soil management on soil organic carbon (SOC) confirmed the results of previous experiments in semiarid environments, where a moderate SOC increase was recorded in Cover crop (CC) management after a few years of application and an achievement of a steady state level [55]
Summary
Effective measures are required to help moving towards evidence-based, sustainable agriculture that can mitigate the effects of climate change and benefit people, nature and their joint futures [1].Cover cropping is considered one of the most effective solutions for implementing the multiple ecosystem services in orchards; it has been widely promoted by agricultural policy in the European Union and was included in the regional development plan as a “Best Environmental Management Practice” [2]. Taking into consideration the influence of cover crop on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics, several authors observed a SOC increase especially in the upper soil layer [13,14]; on the contrary other authors observed no significant effect on SOC stock following cover crop management [15,16]. These discrepancies in carbon sequestration may be ascribed to different SOC decomposition rates as a consequence of microbial diversity, environmental characteristics and cover crop management [17]. Due to their low C/N ratio, generally around 20, legumes are quickly (within 2 to 3 weeks) decomposed by soil microorganisms, releasing available N for plants
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