Effect of grass cover and abandonment on soil surface changes and soil properties in traditional vineyards in Vráble viticultural region in southwestern Slovakia

Abstract

Land use transition, related to the extensification of management and agricultural abandonment, is a widespread phenomenon across European landscapes. In this study, we examined the effects of protective grassing and abandonment on soil protection and regeneration in traditional vineyards of the Vráble viticultural region, located in the temperate climate zone of central Europe. We analysed changes in the soil surface level, soil profile, and soil properties at various slope positions: shoulder, backslope, and footslope. Variability in the soil surface level was assessed using the poles height method, which was developed to quantify soil erosion and deposition. The results showed that both measures positively affected soil development. In the abandoned vineyard, the soil surface level increased by 0.72 mm yr−1 on the slope shoulder, 0.26 mm yr−1 on the backslope, and 3.58 mm yr−1 on the footslope. In contrast, the cultivated vineyard exhibited minimal changes in the slope shoulder (0.02 mm yr−1), erosion on the backslope (4.52 mm yr−1), and deposition on the footslope (19.30 mm yr−1). The vineyard that was hoed for half of the analysed period and then grassed showed erosion rates of 0.25 mm yr−1 on the shoulder, 1.48 mm yr−1 on the backslope, and deposition of 3.42 mm yr−1 on the footslope. All slope profiles showed evidence of erosion-accumulation processes resulting from past management practices without protective vegetation cover; however, the development of a new humic layer was observed in grassed and abandoned vineyard. Grass cover and abandonment positively influenced soil organic carbon (SOC) content, bulk density, and porosity.