Abstract
The viticultural effects of sward competition with vines for water and nutrients, indirectly resulting from reduced herbicide use under a sustainable production system, are well established in cooler, more humid areas but are less well understood in warm and dry areas. Three groundcover treatments—standard industry practice of herbicide-treated undervine strips, bare soil maintained with herbicides, and complete floor cover (no herbicides)—were applied in two Chardonnay vineyards, one in a hot dry climate, the other in a mild climate. Increasing floor cover decreased early-season soil moisture and petiole nutrient status and strongly reduced vine vegetative growth. After three experimental years, grape yield also became limited. Large treatment differences in vegetative growth, canopy structure, and yield contributed to differences in berry weight and composition. Vine response to floor covers was less pronounced under mild climatic conditions compared to hot and dry conditions. Total or partial floor cover is a powerful tool for controlling vegetative growth of grapevines. However, under hot and dry conditions, competition for water and nutrients, particularly if it occurs at sensitive stages (such as bloom and berry set) can lead to a substantial decrease in yield and vine capacity.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing floor cover decreased early-season soil moisture.
VitisNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing floor cover decreased early-season soil moisture and petiole nutrient status and strongly reduced vine vegetative growth.”
t0“Grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing floor cover decreased petiole nutrient status.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing floor cover decreased early-season soil moisture and petiole nutrient status and strongly reduced vine vegetative growth.”
t0“Grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing floor cover strongly reduced vine vegetative growth.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing floor cover decreased early-season soil moisture and petiole nutrient status and strongly reduced vine vegetative growth.”
t0“Grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Floor cover limited grape yield after three experimental years.
- Treatment
- floor covere1
- Outcome
- grape yielde0
- Direction
- limitede0
- Qualifier
- After three experimental yearse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“After three experimental years, grape yield also became limited.”
t0“Grapevine”
e1“Increasing floor cover”
Claim · model-written summary
Treatment differences in growth, canopy structure and yield contributed to differences in berry weight and composition.
- Treatment
- treatment differencese0
- Outcome
- berry weight and compositione0
- Qualifier
- vegetative growth, canopy structure, and yielde0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Large treatment differences in vegetative growth, canopy structure, and yield contributed to differences in berry weight and composition.”
t0“Grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Vine response to floor covers was less pronounced in mild than hot and dry conditions.
- Outcome
- Vine response to floor coverse0
- Direction
- less pronouncede0
- Comparator
- hot and dry conditionse0
- Setting
- mild climatic conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vine response to floor covers was less pronounced under mild climatic conditions compared to hot and dry conditions.”
t0“Grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors identify total or partial floor cover as a tool to control grapevine vegetative growth.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Total or partial floor cover is a powerful tool for controlling vegetative growth of grapevines.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors caution that competition for water and nutrients under hot and dry conditions can substantially decrease yield and vine capacity.
- Outcome
- substantial decrease in yield and vine capacitye0
- Qualifier
- particularly if it occurs at sensitive stages (such as bloom and berry set)e0
- Setting
- hot and dry conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“under hot and dry conditions, competition for water and nutrients, particularly if it occurs at sensitive stages (such as bloom and berry set) can lead to a substantial decrease in yield and vine capacity.”
t0“Grapevine”