Conversion to organic and biodynamic viticultural practices: impact on soil, grapevine development and grape quality

Abstract

Aim: The effects of integrated, organic and biodynamic management on soil quality and the growth and morphological development of Riesling grapevines were assessed during the first 4 years of a long-term field trial in Geisenheim, Germany. The overall aim was to understand the effects of these different viticultural practices on soil quality and plant morphology as the basis for product quality.Methods and results: As indicators of soil quality, earthworm abundance and the activity of selected enzymes were assessed. The vegetative and reproductive development of the grapevines, as well as their susceptibility to fungal diseases in the field, wood and grape composition, and grape yield, were investigated. Individual variables were subjected to analysis of variance. Additionally, all variables were subjected to multivariate principal component analysis. Compared with plots under integrated management, plots under the two biological treatments were characterized by higher soil quality and lower vegetative growth and grape yield, and therefore higher exposure of grapes and lower grape cluster compactness, and, probably as a result of these morphological differences, lower incidence of acetic acid rot. Principal component analysis clearly differentiated the three treatments, and showed that biodynamic management had more pronounced effects than organic management in terms of enhanced soil fertility and reduction of vegetative growth.Conclusions: In the present study, organic and especially biodynamic management resulted in a morphology favouring production of high-quality grapes. The treatments differed in terms of fertilization and plant protection methods as well as choice of cover crops. Therefore, further research is necessary with respect to root growth and the nitrogen and water uptake dynamics of vines and cover crops. The differences between grapes produced under organic and biodynamic management emphasize the need for more research on the mode of action of biodynamic preparations.Significance and impact of the study: In recent years, both winegrowers and consumers have expressed steadily growing interest in organic and especially biodynamic wine production. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the effects on grapevine growth and morphological development of shifting to these methods as a way to increase product quality.

Network Properties of Local Fungal Communities Reveal the Anthropogenic Disturbance Consequences of Farming Practices in Vineyard Soils

“…It is noteworthy that, in the case of Spain, only biodynamic samples show clustering coefficient (+) scores different (higher) from those expected by random, highlighting the outstanding structure of fungal communities under this type of management. Ultimately, biodynamic management has been reported to lead to higher-quality grapes in vineyards than conventional management, with organic practices showing an intermediate effect, based on soil fertility, nutrient availability, enzyme activity, and earthworm abundance ( 26 ). Taking our results together, we have observed that communities with lower modularity (+) had higher completeness of modules that were associated with wider temperature ranges ( Fig.…”

“…It has been reported that land use and crop management have a strong effect on fungal soil ecosystem functioning ( 1 , 24 , 25 ). When contextualizing community-level properties into management, we will consider that agroecosystems in general, and vineyards in particular, can be managed under three different intensification levels, according to how cultural, biological, and mechanical practices foster the cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, or conserve biodiversity ( 26 ): (i) “conventional” management, which allows a wide variety of chemical fertilizers or pesticides; (ii) “organic” management, subjected to strict limits on the use of mineral nitrogen fertilizers and synthetic phytosanitary products; and (iii) “biodynamic” management, as an extreme scenario that rejects the use of mineral nitrogen fertilizers and synthetic pesticides but promotes the use of compost-based fertilization and cover crops, and the use of specific preparations—based on fermented plant materials—to enhance soil fertility and microbial diversity. Since geography, climate, and agriculture management are likely to affect the composition of fungal communities in vineyard soils ( 27 ), here we aimed to delve into the functional implications of these changes, understanding whether the structure of local fungal networks can give information about the dominant ecological processes in fungal communities.…”

Adaptation of the regional agronomic diagnosis for grapevine yield analysis

“…Lower yields than the regional reference, are also reported in organic farming in the scientific literature (Seufert et al, 2012;Meissner et al, 2019). As such, the agronomic diagnosis for the PACA case study aimed to explain the yield variability when grapevines are grown according to organic standards.…”

Crop growth, carbon sequestration and soil erosion in an organic vineyard of the Villány Wine District, Southwest Hungary

“…Organic viticulture is rapidly spreading worldwide because it offers multiple advantages over conventional cultivation (Probst, B. et al 2008;Provost, C. and Pedneault, K. 2016), producing high quality grapes and wines with lower inputs, conserving biodiversity and keeping pests and diseases at low levels. In organic viticulture only organic fertilizers and non-synthetic pesticides are allowed and soil disturbance is reduced by minimum tillage and grassing (Meissner, G. et al 2019). Biodynamic viticulture, where specific preparates are applied to enhance bacterial action, is also popular in many countries (Meissner, G. et al 2019).…”

“…In organic viticulture only organic fertilizers and non-synthetic pesticides are allowed and soil disturbance is reduced by minimum tillage and grassing (Meissner, G. et al 2019). Biodynamic viticulture, where specific preparates are applied to enhance bacterial action, is also popular in many countries (Meissner, G. et al 2019). In southern France conversion to organic viticulture was found to significantly increase bulk density, total organic carbon content (TOC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils (Coll, P. et al 2011).…”