Abstract
Herbicides are increasingly applied in vineyards worldwide. However, not much is known on potential side effects on soil organisms or on the nutrition of grapevines (Vitis vinifera). In an experimental vineyard in Austria, we examined the impacts of three within-row herbicide treatments (active ingredients: flazasulfuron, glufosinate, glyphosate) and mechanical weeding on grapevine root mycorrhization; soil microorganisms; earthworms; and nutrient concentration in grapevine roots, leaves, xylem sap and grape juice. The three herbicides reduced grapevine root mycorrhization on average by 53% compared to mechanical weeding. Soil microorganisms (total colony-forming units, CFU) were significantly affected by herbicides with highest CFUs under glufosinate and lowest under glyphosate. Earthworms (surface casting activity, density, biomass, reproduction) or litter decomposition in soil were unaffected by herbicides. Herbicides altered nutrient composition in grapevine roots, leaves, grape juice and xylem sap that was collected 11 months after herbicide application. Xylem sap under herbicide treatments also contained on average 70% more bacteria than under mechanical weeding; however, due to high variability, this was not statistically significant. We conclude that interdisciplinary approaches should receive more attention when assessing ecological effects of herbicides in vineyard ecosystems.
Highlights
IntroductionAs a result of their wide use, herbicide residues can be found in considerable amounts in ground and surface waters (Herrero-Hernández et al 2017) as well as in wine (Ying and Williams 1999; Ying and Williams 2000)
With an increasing intensification of viticulture, chemical weed control within and between grapevine (Vitis viniferaResponsible editor: Philippe Garrigues Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.L.) rows have been widely employed
The highest mycorrhization (19.7 ± 4.0%) was observed under mechanical weed control; mycorrhization was significantly lower under herbicide applications but did not vary between different herbicides
Summary
As a result of their wide use, herbicide residues can be found in considerable amounts in ground and surface waters (Herrero-Hernández et al 2017) as well as in wine (Ying and Williams 1999; Ying and Williams 2000). While effects of fungicides and/or insecticides on soil organisms in vineyards have been reported (Paoletti et al 1998), not much is known on the impacts caused by herbicides (Stellin et al 2017). While it can be expected that the mode-of-action of herbicides on nontarget organisms in vineyards should be similar to those of arable fields, different effects could be anticipated. Mobile soil organisms such as earthworms might be less affected in vineyards as herbicides are often applied only
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