The Kind of Fertilization and Type of Soil Tillage Affect Soil Fertility and Foliar Nutrient Concentrations in an Experimental Vineyard of Kefalonia

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Our study was based on the premise that the type of soil tillage and the kind of fertilization significantly affect soil properties, nutrient availability, and uptake by Vitis vinifera L. (cv. ‘Robola’) plants. For this purpose, a two-year field experiment was conducted, in a 2 × 3 factorial (i.e., two types of soil tillage-conventional and reduced and three kinds of fertilization-conventional, controlled N release and organic), with six treatments derived from the combination of the two tillage and the three fertilization methods. The results showed that the organic matter content (%), as well as the exchangeable Mg, were significantly influenced by the type of tillage. The kind of fertilization affected soil nitrate and leaf N (lower values in the organic fertilization) and P concentrations (higher values in the organic fertilization). Regarding the effect of the type of tillage, foliar Mg was significantly higher in the conventional soil tillage. Finally, both the type of tillage and kind of fertilization significantly affected leaf Zn. Overall, these data show the importance of innovative dual co-application of pomace (an organic by-product of the wine industry) with reduced soil tillage on soil properties and plant nutrition. Thus, it is expected to gain environmental, ecological, and economic benefits for wine producers and also to improve vineyards’ sustainability and protected designation of origin (PDO) wine quality under the challenges provoked by climatic and recent energy crises.