Abstract
Vineyards are usually managed by tilling the inter-rows to avoid competition from other plants for soil water and nutrients. However, in humid and sub-humid climates, such as that of NW Spain, cover crops may be an advantage for controlling vine vegetative growth and improving berry composition, while reducing management costs. The current study was conducted over three consecutive growing seasons (2012-2014) to assess the effects of establishing three permanent cover crop treatments on water relations, vine physiology, yield and berry composition of a vineyard of the red cultivar ‘Mencía’ (Vitis vinifera L.) located in Leiro, Ourense. Treatments consisted of four different soil management systems: ST, soil tillage; NV, native vegetation; ER, English ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.); and SC, subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.). Midday stem water potential was more negative in the native vegetation treatment, causing significant reductions in leaf stomatal conductance on certain dates. Total vine leaf area and pruning weight was reduced in the cover crop treatments in the last year of the experiment. Yield was unaffected by the presence of a cover crop. No significant differences among treatments were observed for berry composition; however, wines were positively affected by the SC treatment (higher tannin content and colour intensity and lower malic acid concentration when compared with ST). Wines from the cover crop treatments were preferred by taste panelists. These results indicate that in humid climates cover crop treatments can be useful for reducing vine vegetative growth without compromising yield and berry quality.
Highlights
The adoption of cover crops as soil management systems in Mediterranean rain-fed vineyards has been limited due to the concern of excessive water and nutrient competition between these crops and the vines (Lopes et al, 2008)
Results of this 3-year study of soil management systems indicate that cover crops can be used as a tool for reducing vegetative vigour in vineyards located in humid and sub-humid regions
The three crops used in this study presented different plant coverages throughout the growing seasons; resident vegetation and sown ryegrass covered almost 70% of inter-row surface, whereas subterranean clover only reached 45% of soil coverage
Summary
The adoption of cover crops as soil management systems in Mediterranean rain-fed vineyards has been limited due to the concern of excessive water and nutrient competition between these crops and the vines (Lopes et al, 2008). (Morlat & Jacquet, 2003; Peregrina et al, 2010; Ruiz-Colmenero et al, 2011; Virto et al, 2012). Despite these advantages, vineyards in Spain are usually managed through tillage in the inter-row and herbicides in the vine row (Ibáñez Pascual, 2013).
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