Abstract
Soil management and particularly service crops are a promising solution for addressing current challenges in viticulture as they limit the use of herbicides while increasing potential ecosystem services. Scientific literature barely considers the importance of service crop management to reach trade-offs between ecosystem services and disservices. This study evaluates during a three-year experiment, 6 service crop termination strategies for winter service crops, combining two service crops termination periods (early termination in February vs. termination at grapevine budburst) and three termination methods (mower (M), mower + tillage (T), roller-crimper (R)). Service crop (biomass, C:N ratio, weeds, and mulch following termination), soil ( soil organic matter, microbial biomass, and water and nitrogen stocks), and grapevines (predawn leaf water potential, yield components, δ13C, yeast assimilable nitrogen in juice, and pruning weight) were monitored from 2019 to 2022. Allowing service crops to develop until the budburst of the vine resulted in a two to three-fold increase in biomass compared to early destruction. Termination involving soil tillage was the most effective method, as treatments destroyed early with soil tillage exhibited almost no regrowth. Soil tillage termination led to the lowest biomass of weeds at the grapevine flowering two years out of three, and prevented the regrowth of certain sown plants, especially Poaceae. The roller was less effective in destroying service crop species but was the best method for maintaining plant residues on the soil surface. A higher soil microbial biomass was observed with termination at budburst, combined with no-till termination methods. Termination involving soil tillage was notably more effective in stopping service crop transpiration, increasing soil water stocks and improving grapevine water status. In 2020 and 2022, soil inorganic nitrogen stocks were almost 4 times higher in the T treatments compared to the other two termination methods, achieving a level of approximately 61 kg ha−1 that closely corresponds to the annual nitrogen requirements of grapevines. The yeast-assimilable nitrogen (YAN) content in grape juice mirrored this trend. Pruning weight varied significantly between different termination methods, with T treatments exhibiting a higher pruning weight per vine in comparison to R and M treatments. In general terms, the T treatment had a significantly higher number of bunches, the M treatment had the lowest, and the R treatment exhibited intermediate values. Overall, the average grapevine yield ranged from 7.25 to 13.7 t ha−1, corresponding to 52–98 hL ha−1 (with 4000 vines ha−1, 140 kg hL−1). This level of production may be accepted for Protected Designations of Origin that limit grapevine yield to 40 or 60 hL ha−1, but it could be a limitation for Protected Geographical Indications, which permit 90 hL ha−1, or unlabeled productions without yield limitations. Given the Mediterranean climate context, with rising frequencies of dry winters due to climate change, termination involving soil tillage appears to be the least risky strategy to preserve grapevine vigor and production while improving soil-based ecosystem functions. However, this might be contingent on the targeted yield and wine valuation.
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Claims 19
Claim · model-written summary
Termination at vine budburst increased service crop biomass two to three fold relative to early destruction.
Verbatim
e0“Allowing service crops to develop until the budburst of the vine resulted in a two to three-fold increase in biomass compared to early destruction.”
Claim · model-written summary
Early soil tillage termination left almost no service crop regrowth.
- Taxon
- service cropt0
- Treatment
- destroyed early with soil tillagee0
- Outcome
- regrowthe0
- Direction
- almost noe0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“treatments destroyed early with soil tillage exhibited almost no regrowth.”
t0“service crop”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil tillage gave the lowest weed biomass at grapevine flowering in two of three years.
VitisNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil tillage termination led to the lowest biomass of weeds at the grapevine flowering two years out of three”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage prevented regrowth of certain sown plants, especially Poaceae.
- Taxon
- service cropt0
- Treatment
- Soil tillage terminatione0
- Outcome
- regrowth of certain sown plants, especially Poaceaee0
- Direction
- preventede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Soil tillage termination led to the lowest biomass of weeds at the grapevine flowering two years out of three, and prevented the regrowth of certain sown plants, especially Poaceae.”
t0“service crop termination strategy”
Claim · model-written summary
Rolling was less effective at destroying service crop species.
- Taxon
- service cropt0
- Treatment
- rollere0
- Outcome
- destroying service crop speciese0
- Direction
- less effectivee0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The roller was less effective in destroying service crop species”
t0“service crop”
Claim · model-written summary
Rolling best maintained plant residues on the soil surface.
- Taxon
- service cropt0
- Treatment
- rollere0
- Outcome
- maintaining plant residues on the soil surfacee0
- Direction
- beste0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The roller was less effective in destroying service crop species but was the best method for maintaining plant residues on the soil surface.”
t0“service crop termination strategy”
Claim · model-written summary
Termination at budburst with no tillage increased soil microbial biomass.
- Treatment
- termination at budburst, combined with no-till termination methodse0
- Outcome
- soil microbial biomasse0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A higher soil microbial biomass was observed with termination at budburst, combined with no-till termination methods.”
t0“grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage termination more effectively stopped service crop transpiration.
- Taxon
- service crope0
- Treatment
- soil tillagee0
- Outcome
- service crop transpiratione0
- Direction
- more effectivee0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Termination involving soil tillage was notably more effective in stopping service crop transpiration”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage increased soil water stocks.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increasing soil water stocks and improving grapevine water status.”
t0“Termination involving soil tillage was notably more effective in stopping service crop transpiration”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage improved grapevine water status.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increasing soil water stocks and improving grapevine water status.”
t0“Termination involving soil tillage was notably more effective in stopping service crop transpiration”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil inorganic nitrogen stocks were almost four times higher under tillage in 2020 and 2022.
- Treatment
- T treatmentse0
- Outcome
- soil inorganic nitrogen stockse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- approximately 61 kg ha−1e0
- Comparator
- other two termination methodse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 2020 and 2022, soil inorganic nitrogen stocks were almost 4 times higher in the T treatments compared to the other two termination methods, achieving a level of approximately 61 kg ha−1”
t0“grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Grape juice YAN mirrored the higher nitrogen trend under tillage.
- Outcome
- yeast-assimilable nitrogen (YAN) content in grape juicee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The yeast-assimilable nitrogen (YAN) content in grape juice mirrored this trend.”
t0“grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage treatments increased pruning weight relative to roller and mower methods.
- Treatment
- T treatmentse0
- Outcome
- pruning weight per vinee0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- R and M treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“T treatments exhibiting a higher pruning weight per vine in comparison to R and M treatments.”
t0“grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage gave a significantly higher bunch count than the other methods.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the T treatment had a significantly higher number of bunches, the M treatment had the lowest, and the R treatment exhibited intermediate values.”
t0“grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Mowing gave the lowest bunch count.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the M treatment had the lowest, and the R treatment exhibited intermediate values.”
t0“grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Roller treatment gave an intermediate bunch count.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the R treatment exhibited intermediate values.”
t0“grapevine”
Claim · model-written summary
Average grapevine yield ranged from 7.25 to 13.7 t ha−1.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the average grapevine yield ranged from 7.25 to 13.7 t ha−1, corresponding to 52–98 hL ha−1”
Claim · model-written summary
The reported grapevine yield corresponded to 52–98 hL ha−1.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the average grapevine yield ranged from 7.25 to 13.7 t ha−1, corresponding to 52–98 hL ha−1”
Claim · model-written summary
Tillage termination appears least risky for preserving grapevine vigor and production in Mediterranean conditions.
- Outcome
- termination involving soil tillage appears to be the least risky strategy to preserve grapevine vigor and production while improving soil-based ecosystem functionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“termination involving soil tillage appears to be the least risky strategy to preserve grapevine vigor and production while improving soil-based ecosystem functions.”
The same questions in other papers
tillage · physiology: water · VitisPositive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
- negative
tillage · soil: physics · VitisPositive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
tillage · weed · VitisResults agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.