Vineyard floor management affects soil, plant nutrition, and grape yield and quality. (Special issue: Sustainable viticulture. Wine grapes go green.)

摘要

Management of the vineyard floor affects soil and crop productivity, as well as runoff and sediment that leave the vineyard. In Monterey County (California, USA), weed control is typically conducted in a 4-foot-wide area under vines, while cover crops are planted in the middles between vine rows. A 5-year (2000-05) multidisciplinary study was conducted in a low rainfall vineyard to evaluate the effect of weed control strategies (mechanical cultivation; post-emergence control only with glyphosate at 2.0% (v/v)+oxyfluorfen at 1.0% (v/v); pre-emergence simazine at 1.8 pounds+oxyfluorfen at 1.0 pounds/acre, followed by post-emergence glyphosate at 2.0% (v/v)+oxyfluorfen at 1.0% (v/v)) in the vine rows, factorially arranged with 3 cover crop treatments (no cover crop, earlier maturing rye cultivar 'Merced' and later maturing triticale cultivar 'Trios 102') in the middles. The soil compaction, moisture and runoff; vine and soil nutrition; soil microbial biomass and arbuscular mycorrhizae; and grape yield and quality were determined. 'Trios 102' used more water during the vine growing season than 'Merced'. The cover crops increased the organic matter and microbial biomass in the middles and reduced the sediment loss. The weed control treatments did not affect the crop yield or soil nutritional and microbiological parameters, but cultivation increased soil compaction at 4-7 inches deep. Weed control strategies and cover crops must be chosen carefully to maximize benefits and minimize negative environmental impacts.