Abstract
Abstract Addressing environmental degradation and fostering agricultural sustainability are critical challenges of the twenty-first century. Agroecological practices such as organic and biodynamic farming are vital for transforming agriculture and enhancing ecosystem services by avoiding synthetic inputs. While often criticized for lower yields, little is known about how these systems adapt and perform over extended periods under varying climatic conditions, particularly for perennial crops such as grapevines. This represents a major knowledge gap, as understanding their long-term adaptive capacity is essential for designing resilient and sustainable production systems under climate change. This 18-year field trial in Geisenheim, Germany, addresses this gap by assessing the long-term effects of organic, biodynamic, and integrated management on Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling. It represents the only long-term study on perennial crops to systematically compare these systems’ impact on agronomic parameters, plant performance, and grape quality, observing their evolution post-conversion and response to climatic variability. Initially, organic (−17%) and biodynamic (−14%) systems showed lower yields and reduced vine vigor compared to integrated management. However, yield gaps narrowed significantly after approximately a decade. Change point analysis revealed improved relative yields in organic and biodynamic plots 8–9 years after conversion, accompanied by stable or improved Ravaz index values. Notably, in hot, dry vintages, organic and biodynamic systems exhibited enhanced yield effect sizes (+2.3% and +9.0%, respectively) and increased yeast-available nitrogen. Conversely, yield gaps persisted in cooler, wetter vintages, likely due to pathogen-induced losses. Nutrient deficiencies were not the primary cause of initial yield reductions, and grape quality parameters showed minimal treatment differences. These long-term findings demonstrate that organic and biodynamic viticulture can overcome initial yield deficits and potentially outperform integrated management under increasingly warm, dry conditions. The results highlight the adaptive capacity and climate resilience of agroecological systems, offering a sustainable path for future perennial agriculture.
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Claims 16
Claim · model-written summary
Organic management initially had 17% lower yield than integrated management.
- Taxon
- Vitis vinifera
Vitis viniferae0 - Treatment
- organice1
- Outcome
- yieldse1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Value
- −17%e1
- Comparator
- integrated managemente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“Initially, organic (−17%) and biodynamic (−14%) systems showed lower yields and reduced vine vigor compared to integrated management”
Claim · model-written summary
Biodynamic management initially had 14% lower yield than integrated management.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- biodynamice1
- Outcome
- yieldse1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Value
- −14%e1
- Comparator
- integrated managemente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“Initially, organic (−17%) and biodynamic (−14%) systems showed lower yields and reduced vine vigor compared to integrated management”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic management initially reduced vine vigor relative to integrated management.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- organice1
- Outcome
- vine vigore1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Comparator
- integrated managemente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“Initially, organic (−17%) and biodynamic (−14%) systems showed lower yields and reduced vine vigor compared to integrated management”
Claim · model-written summary
Biodynamic management initially reduced vine vigor relative to integrated management.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- biodynamice1
- Outcome
- vine vigore1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Comparator
- integrated managemente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“Initially, organic (−17%) and biodynamic (−14%) systems showed lower yields and reduced vine vigor compared to integrated management”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield gaps narrowed significantly after approximately a decade.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Outcome
- yield gapse1
- Direction
- narrowede1
- Qualifier
- after approximately a decadee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“yield gaps narrowed significantly after approximately a decade”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic plots improved relative yield 8–9 years after conversion.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- organice1
- Outcome
- relative yieldse1
- Direction
- improvede1
- Qualifier
- 8–9 years after conversione1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“Change point analysis revealed improved relative yields in organic and biodynamic plots 8–9 years after conversion”
Claim · model-written summary
Biodynamic plots improved relative yield 8–9 years after conversion.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- biodynamice1
- Outcome
- relative yieldse1
- Direction
- improvede1
- Qualifier
- 8–9 years after conversione1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“Change point analysis revealed improved relative yields in organic and biodynamic plots 8–9 years after conversion”
Claim · model-written summary
Ravaz index values were stable or improved following the yield shift.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Outcome
- Ravaz index valuese1
- Direction
- stable or improvede1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“accompanied by stable or improved Ravaz index values”
Claim · model-written summary
In hot, dry vintages organic plots had a 2.3% enhanced yield effect size.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- organice1
- Outcome
- yield effect sizese1
- Direction
- enhancede1
- Value
- +2.3%e1
- Qualifier
- hot, dry vintagese1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“in hot, dry vintages, organic and biodynamic systems exhibited enhanced yield effect sizes (+2.3% and +9.0%, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
In hot, dry vintages biodynamic plots had a 9.0% enhanced yield effect size.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- biodynamice1
- Outcome
- yield effect sizese1
- Direction
- enhancede1
- Value
- +9.0%e1
- Qualifier
- hot, dry vintagese1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“in hot, dry vintages, organic and biodynamic systems exhibited enhanced yield effect sizes (+2.3% and +9.0%, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic plots had increased yeast-available nitrogen in hot, dry vintages.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- organice1
- Outcome
- yeast-available nitrogene1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Qualifier
- hot, dry vintagese1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“in hot, dry vintages, organic and biodynamic systems exhibited enhanced yield effect sizes (+2.3% and +9.0%, respectively) and increased yeast-available nitrogen”
Claim · model-written summary
Biodynamic plots had increased yeast-available nitrogen in hot, dry vintages.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Treatment
- biodynamice1
- Outcome
- yeast-available nitrogene1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Qualifier
- hot, dry vintagese1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“in hot, dry vintages, organic and biodynamic systems exhibited enhanced yield effect sizes (+2.3% and +9.0%, respectively) and increased yeast-available nitrogen”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield gaps persisted in cooler, wetter vintages, probably because of pathogen losses.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Outcome
- yield gapse1
- Direction
- persistede1
- Qualifier
- cooler, wetter vintages, likely due to pathogen-induced lossese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“yield gaps persisted in cooler, wetter vintages, likely due to pathogen-induced losses”
Claim · model-written summary
Nutrient deficiencies were not the main cause of initial yield reductions.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Outcome
- initial yield reductionse1
- Qualifier
- Nutrient deficiencies were not the primary causee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“Nutrient deficiencies were not the primary cause of initial yield reductions”
Claim · model-written summary
Grape quality parameters differed minimally among treatments.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Outcome
- grape quality parameterse1
- Direction
- minimal treatment differencese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“grape quality parameters showed minimal treatment differences”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic and biodynamic systems may overcome initial yield deficits and outperform integrated management in warm dry conditions.
- Taxon
- Vitis viniferaVitis viniferae0
- Outcome
- overcome initial yield deficits and potentially outperform integrated managemente1
- Qualifier
- under increasingly warm, dry conditionse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling”
e1“organic and biodynamic viticulture can overcome initial yield deficits and potentially outperform integrated management under increasingly warm, dry conditions”
The same questions in other papers
cultivation system · growth · Vitis vinifera (wine grape)Positive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
- positive
cultivation system · yield · Vitis vinifera (wine grape)Positive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- no effect
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.