Valorization of Vineyard By-Products to Obtain Composted Digestate and Biochar Suitable for Nursery Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Production

Domenico Ronga,Massimo Zaccardelli,Catello Pane,Cristina Bignami,Aldo Tava,Simone Pedrazzi,Giulio Allesina,Enrico Francia

doi:10.3390/agronomy9080420

Abstract

Although compost and biochar received high attention as growing media, little information is available on the potential of vineyard by-products for the production and use of composted solid digestate (CSD) and biochar (BC). In the present study, two experiments are reported on CSD and BC mixed with commercial peat (CP) for grapevine planting material production. Four doses (0, 10%, 20%, 40% vol.) of CSD and BC were assessed in the first and second experiment, respectively. CSD mixed at a dose of 10% recorded the highest values of shoot dry weight (SDW) and a fraction of total dry biomass allocated to shoot (FTS), both cropping bench-graft and bare-rooted vine. On the other hand, CSD mixed at a dose of 40% displayed the highest values of SDW and FTS, cropping two-year-old vine. BC used at a dose of 10% improved SDW, root dry weight, total dry weight, FTS, shoot diameter, and height on bare-rooted vine. The present study shows that CSD and BC, coming from the valorization of vineyard by-products, can be used in the production of innovative growing media suitable for nursery grapevine production. Further studies are needed to assess the combined applications of CSD and BC in the same growing media.

Highlights

The growing demand for grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) planting materials, due to the increasing worldwide viticulture, is promoting research studies to obtain useful guidelines for improving vineyard sustainability [1]
The present study shows that composted solid digestate (CSD) and BC, coming from the valorization of vineyard by-products, can be used in the production of innovative growing media suitable for nursery grapevine production
Our objective was to assess the potential benefits of composted solid digestate (CSD) and biochar (BC) coming from vineyard by-products on different grapevine planting materials grown in the greenhouse

Summary

Introduction

The growing demand for grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) planting materials, due to the increasing worldwide viticulture, is promoting research studies to obtain useful guidelines for improving vineyard sustainability [1]. Soil and vineyard canopy management received particular attention. Soil and canopy management play a fundamental role on the vegetative and reproductive development of the vines [5,6]. Soil management practices include the fertilizer administration able to improve and/or maintain soil fertility, satisfying grapevine nutrient requests [7]. Field production and planting in the vineyard of dormant bare-rooted vines may be negatively affected by some biotic and abiotic stresses, such as root dehydration, contamination by soil borne

Objectives

Methods

Results