Disentangling the mixed effects of soil management on microbial diversity and soil functions: A case study in vineyards

Abstract

Promoting soil functioning by maintaining soil microbial diversity and activity is central for sustainable agriculture. In viticulture, soil management often includes tillage, which poses a multifaceted disturbance to the soil environment and has direct and indirect effects on soil microbial diversity and soil functioning. However, the challenge of disentangling the effects of different soil management practices on soil microbial diversity and functioning has rarely been addressed. In this study, we investigated the effects of soil management on soil bacterial and fungal diversity as well as soil functions (soil respiration and decomposition) using a balanced experimental design with four soil management types in nine vineyards in Germany. Application of structural equation modelling enabled us to investigate the causal relationships of soil disturbance, vegetation cover, and plant richness on soil properties, microbial diversity, and soil functions. We could show that soil disturbance by tillage increased bacterial diversity but decreased fungal diversity. We identified a positive effect of plant diversity on bacterial diversity. Soil respiration showed a positive response to soil disturbance, while decomposition was negatively affected in highly disturbed soils via mediated effects of vegetation removal. Our results contribute to the understanding of direct and indirect effects of vineyard soil management on soil life and aids designing targeted recommendations for agricultural soil management.

Exploring the interplay between the core microbiota, physicochemical factors, agrobiochemical cycles in the soil of the historic tokaj mád wine region

“…Specifically, when compared to an Argentinian study conducted in a recently established Malbec wine region, where Shannon diversity was reported between 7–8 for bacteria and 6–8 for fungi [ 37 ]. Similarly, a study investigating the soil microbiota in the Italian province of Trentino found Bacterial Shannon diversity between 6–7 and Fungal Shannon diversity between 4–6 [ 38 ] Furthermore, a German study examining the impact of soil management practices on soil microbial diversity in nine German vineyards reported Bacterial Shannon diversity ranging from 6.6–7.2 and Fungal diversity from 3.2–5 [ 39 ]. Moreover, in our case, fungal diversities were found to surpass the diversity values of bacteria.…”

Soil microbiota plays a key regulatory role in the outbreak of tobacco root rot

“…Nutrient availability, particularly the availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), has been found to be a key determinant of protistan-fungal interactions, with high N:P ratios favoring fungal growth and low ratios favoring protistan growth ( Bonkowski, 2004 ; Gellner and McCann, 2016 ). In addition, organic matter content has been shown to influence the diversity and composition of soil microbial communities, which can in turn affect the interactions between predators and prey ( Wall et al, 2015 ; Martin et al, 2023 ). Our results provide further evidence that these factors also influence the connectivity of bipartite networks ( Table 1 ), which in turn can affect the structure and function of the soil ecosystem.…”

Monitoring of Seasonal Under-Vine CO2 Effluxes in a Vineyard under Different Fertilization Practices

“…The warming trend and the decreasing rainfall in the Mediterranean region make it necessary to integrate innovative and sustainable solutions to deal with the impacts of climate change, safeguarding the production capacity (both quantitative and qualitative) of European wine-growing systems and preserving soil function. Among the adaptation and mitigation strategies, soil management and/or supplemental irrigation can be essential tools for the short term to cope with hot climates and water deficits while taking into account water savings, as well as carbon emissions, and seeking to maximize benefits [45,46]. This study focused on the effects of two fertilizer programs-organo-mineral and chemical-on under-vine TSR in a vineyard because it has been recognized that TSR values in under-rows are higher than those in inter-rows in a vineyard [26].…”