Abstract
Cover crops (CCs) minimize the loss of soil in permanent cropping systems where the soil is usually bare due to intense tillage or overuse of herbicides. The topsoil, the richer layer in soil organic carbon and organic matter (OM), is affected by water erosion. Nature-based solutions appear as a suitable option for sustainable farming. In this study, the effectiveness of two years of CC management to reduce the OM loss is evaluated in a rainfed vineyard in a rolling landscape (Huesca, NE Spain). Two sediment traps collected runoff over 15 months. Topsoil OM contents (1.64% and 1.60%) and sediment/soil OM enrichment ratio (2.61 and 3.07) were similar. However, the average annual rate of OM loss was 3.6 times higher in the plot with lower vegetation cover than in the plot with CCs (1.29 vs. 0.35 kgOM ha−1 yr−1). The concentration of OMSed showed a negative relationship with the net soil loss; and significant differences appeared between the OMSed in the months with low and moderate-to-high ground cover. CCs are an excellent nature-based solution to control the unsustainable soil and OM losses measured in vineyards, which will contribute to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Highlights
In 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the resolution entitled “Transforming OurWorld: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: [1]
This study aims to better understand the actual effectiveness of cover crops to reduce organic matter loss in vineyards under natural conditions where ground cover plant development presents high spatial heterogeneity
Soil organic matter is a key component of the soil system that needs to be enhanced to reduce the impact of the global warming and reach land degradation neutrality
Summary
In 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the resolution entitled “Transforming Our. World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: [1]. World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: [1] Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets with global ambitious scale. Land degradation neutrality (LDN) is the concept behind the target 15.3, which is part of the SDG 15 called “Life on Land.”. The concept of LDN aims to respond to “the need for urgent action to reserve land degradation and achieve a land-degradation neutral world” [2]. Achieving the target of land degradation neutrality would decrease the environmental footprint of agriculture, while supporting food security and sustaining human wellbeing [4]. The soil system acts as a key component of the Earth system by regulating the hydrological, erosional, and biogeochemical cycles [5]
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