Using Legume-Enriched Cover Crops to Improve Grape Yield and Quality in Hillside Vineyards
Natural covering (NATC) has spread on hillside vineyards of central Italy as a replacement for tillage to reduce soil erosion, although it increased nitrogen and water needs. Therefore, in the current context of global warming, using cover crops (CCs) that require less water and provide nitrogen bec...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/11/2528 |
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| author | Oriana Silvestroni Edoardo Dottori Luca Pallotti Tania Lattanzi Rodolfo Santilocchi Vania Lanari |
| author_facet | Oriana Silvestroni Edoardo Dottori Luca Pallotti Tania Lattanzi Rodolfo Santilocchi Vania Lanari |
| author_sort | Oriana Silvestroni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Natural covering (NATC) has spread on hillside vineyards of central Italy as a replacement for tillage to reduce soil erosion, although it increased nitrogen and water needs. Therefore, in the current context of global warming, using cover crops (CCs) that require less water and provide nitrogen becomes crucial. The effects of two low-competition legume-enriched CCs in a rainfed hillside vineyard—a perennial legume–grass mixture (PLGM) and an annual legume cover crop of <i>Trifolium alexandrinum</i> (ALTA)—were compared with NATC over three years. PLGM and ALTA provided good levels of soil coverage, slightly lower than NATC, which had a negligible presence of legumes. PLGM and ALTA, due to low competition, enhanced vine vigor, resulting in thicker and wider canopies (as indicated by total leaf area and leaf layer number), higher pruning weight, and increased yield. PLGM and ALTA led to good qualitative levels, with higher grapes acidities, lower pH and total soluble solids content and, additionally, significantly higher yeast assimilable nitrogen content. In conclusion, implementing low-competition legume species in CCs is an effective tool to avoid soil erosion in a climate change scenario, leading to increased productivity, higher acidity, and improved nitrogen content in the grapes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6dbcf18dab1b4a6a80781688dc90f7dd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-6dbcf18dab1b4a6a80781688dc90f7dd2024-11-26T17:44:19ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-10-011411252810.3390/agronomy14112528Using Legume-Enriched Cover Crops to Improve Grape Yield and Quality in Hillside VineyardsOriana Silvestroni0Edoardo Dottori1Luca Pallotti2Tania Lattanzi3Rodolfo Santilocchi4Vania Lanari5Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences Department, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyAgricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences Department, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyAgricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences Department, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyAgricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences Department, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyAgricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences Department, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyAgricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences Department, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyNatural covering (NATC) has spread on hillside vineyards of central Italy as a replacement for tillage to reduce soil erosion, although it increased nitrogen and water needs. Therefore, in the current context of global warming, using cover crops (CCs) that require less water and provide nitrogen becomes crucial. The effects of two low-competition legume-enriched CCs in a rainfed hillside vineyard—a perennial legume–grass mixture (PLGM) and an annual legume cover crop of <i>Trifolium alexandrinum</i> (ALTA)—were compared with NATC over three years. PLGM and ALTA provided good levels of soil coverage, slightly lower than NATC, which had a negligible presence of legumes. PLGM and ALTA, due to low competition, enhanced vine vigor, resulting in thicker and wider canopies (as indicated by total leaf area and leaf layer number), higher pruning weight, and increased yield. PLGM and ALTA led to good qualitative levels, with higher grapes acidities, lower pH and total soluble solids content and, additionally, significantly higher yeast assimilable nitrogen content. In conclusion, implementing low-competition legume species in CCs is an effective tool to avoid soil erosion in a climate change scenario, leading to increased productivity, higher acidity, and improved nitrogen content in the grapes.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/11/2528legume speciescover cropssoil managementgrapevinevine vigorgrape production |
| spellingShingle | Oriana Silvestroni Edoardo Dottori Luca Pallotti Tania Lattanzi Rodolfo Santilocchi Vania Lanari Using Legume-Enriched Cover Crops to Improve Grape Yield and Quality in Hillside Vineyards Agronomy legume species cover crops soil management grapevine vine vigor grape production |
| title | Using Legume-Enriched Cover Crops to Improve Grape Yield and Quality in Hillside Vineyards |
| title_full | Using Legume-Enriched Cover Crops to Improve Grape Yield and Quality in Hillside Vineyards |
| title_fullStr | Using Legume-Enriched Cover Crops to Improve Grape Yield and Quality in Hillside Vineyards |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using Legume-Enriched Cover Crops to Improve Grape Yield and Quality in Hillside Vineyards |
| title_short | Using Legume-Enriched Cover Crops to Improve Grape Yield and Quality in Hillside Vineyards |
| title_sort | using legume enriched cover crops to improve grape yield and quality in hillside vineyards |
| topic | legume species cover crops soil management grapevine vine vigor grape production |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/11/2528 |
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