Mulch and groundcover effects on soil temperature and moisture, surface reflectance, grapevine water potential, and vineyard weed management

Bavougian, Christina M.; Read, Paul E.

doi:10.7717/peerj.5082

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Straw mulch in present study lowered the daytime soil temperature, and an average decrease of 1.9 and 1.5°C was observed for top and subsoils during the crop period, respectively. This decrease was in line with earlier studies reporting lower soil temperature under straw mulch treatment (Fourie and Freitag, 2010;Gholamhuseini et al, 2019); however, Bavougian et al (2018) reported increased soil temperature under organic mulch suggesting increased microbial activity as a possible reason. Summers et al (2004) found that wheat straw reflected approximately 85% of the visible spectrum of light compared to 41% under bare soil.…”

Section: Soil Moisture and Soil Temperaturesupporting

confidence: 92%

“…In this study, average soil temperature was lower under mulch treatment compared to no-mulch for summer maize. Radiometric properties of the mulch material and heat conduction between the mulch and the soil surface drive the ability of mulch to moderate soil temperature (Bavougian et al, 2018). Vegetative or organic mulches reduce the heat conduction into and out of the soil, causing cooler soil during the day but warmer soil at night compared to bare soil (Acharya et al, 2018).…”

Section: Soil Moisture and Soil Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Wheat straw mulch improves summer maize productivity and soil properties

Noor

Nawaz

et al. 2020

Ital J Agronomy

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Crop residue mulch in agricultural systems preserves soil health and improves crop productivity through its moderating influence on soil temperature regime and enhanced moisture retention. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to determine the changes in soil properties and grain yield of irrigated summer maize in response to wheat straw mulching in the Northern maize region in China. The treatments investigated were: (i) application of wheat straw mulch (5000 kg ha-1) and (ii) no-mulch application (control). Maize growth and yield attributes were determined during various growth stages, and soil hydro-thermal properties were recorded for two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm). Straw mulch increased the yield by 18% and also increased total dry biomass yield by 20%, compared to no-mulch. Yield increment was attributed to the increased number of ears per area and kernels number per ear. The effect on thousand kernels weight was found non-significant. Vigorous maize growth was observed under straw mulch treatment, having greater leaf area index (LAI), unit leaf rate (ULR), leaf area duration (LAD), and crop growth rate (CGR). Similarly, the dry matter partitioning for maize kernels was greater in mulch treatment. At the late reproductive stages (R3 and R5), SPAD values for ear and below-ear leaves were higher under mulch treatment. Straw mulch decreased the daytime soil temperature by 1.9 and 1.5 °C on average for 0-15 and 15-30 cm soil layers, respectively. Whereas, the soil moisture content increased about 2.5% (0-15 cm) and 3% (15-30 cm) under the mulch treatment. In crux, leftover crop residue application as mulch in irrigated maize could be a sustainable agronomic option to increase the crop productivity. Highlights - Wheat straw mulch improved maize grain yield by approx. 18% mainly by increased kernel numbers per ear. - Maize growth attributes and SPAD values were improved under mulch treatment compared to no-mulch. - Straw mulching helped in maintaining comparatively higher soil moisture content (~2 %) and reduced the soil temperature (~1.72°C) during the crop growth period.

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Section: Soil Moisture and Soil Temperaturesupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Soil Moisture and Soil Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Wheat straw mulch improves summer maize productivity and soil properties

Noor

Nawaz

et al. 2020

Ital J Agronomy

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“…The treatments showed differences in soil moisture; it was higher for the Bra treatment, probably due to the lower temperature of these soils in the vineyard growth cycle, which prevents evapotranspiration. 74 The green line represents the Bra treatment; after the simulation, the soil moisture sharply increased from 17% to almost 30% in the topsoil (10 cm depth). Similarly, in the Till treatment, represented by orange color, moisture in topsoil increased from 12% to 22%.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of a Permanent Soil Cover on Water Dynamics and Wine Characteristics in a Steep Vineyard in the Central Spain

Marques

Ruíz-Colmenero²,

Bienes³

et al. 2020

Air, Soil and Water Research

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The study of alternative soil managements to tillage, based on the evidence of climate change in the Mediterranean basin, is of great importance. Summer and autumn are critical seasons for soil degradation due to the high-intensity, short-duration storms. Vineyards are vulnerable, especially on steep slopes. The particular effects of storms over the years under different soil conditions due to different management practices are not frequently addressed in the literature. The aim of this study was to examine the differences between runoff and soil moisture patterns influenced by 2 treatments: traditional tillage (Till) and a permanent cover crop. A shallow-rooted grass species Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P. Beauv. with considerable density coverage was selected as cover crop. This annual species was seeded once in the first year and then allowed to self-seed the following years. Tillage was performed at least twice in spring to a 10- to 15-cm depth and once in late autumn at a depth of 20 to 35 cm. Rainfall simulation experiments were performed, 1 year after treatments, using high-intensity rainfall on closed plots of 2 m2, located in the middle strips of the vineyard with different treatments. The effects of simulated rainfall experiments were determined in 3 different moments of the growth cycle of cultivar: (1) in summer with dry soils, (2) in early autumn with moderate soil moisture, and (3) in autumn with wet soils. During the 2-year trial, the soil moisture level in the soil upper layer (0-10 cm) was higher for Till treatment (14.1% ± 2.4%) compared with that for cover crop treatment (12.3% ± 2.0%). However, soil moisture values were more similar between treatments at 35 cm depth (12% ± 1%), with the exception of spring and autumn; in spring, water consumption in the cover crop treatment was the highest, and the moisture level at 35 cm depth was reduced (12%) compared with that for Till treatment (13%). In autumn, in cover crop treatment, higher water infiltration rate in soils led to higher soil moisture content at 35 cm (11%) compared with that of Till treatment (10%). The effects of simulated rainfall experiments on runoff and infiltration under different soil conditions and management practices vary seasonally. Runoff was significantly higher in summer for cover crop treatment (11%) as compared with that for Till management (1%), but significantly lower (3%) with wetter soils than for Till treatment (22%) in autumn. Thus, the simulation experiments with wet soils using cover crops produced higher infiltration rates and, consequently, the higher soil moisture content in the following days. The difference between seasons is attributed to the greater porosity of soil under Till treatment in summer, which resulted from the shallow plowing (10-15 cm depth), carried out to reduce moisture competition between weeds. The effect of traditional spring plowing was short-lived. The infiltration of water increased by cover crop treatment as compared with tillage in autumn both before and after ripping. Management practices did not influence wine parameters, as no significant differences were found between wine organoleptic characteristics in the duo-trio wine tastings, similarly, no differences were found for alcoholic degree, acidity, reduced sugars, and pH; however, a trend for a positive increase in polyphenol contents was noticed. Therefore, properly managed to avoid water shortages, cover crops can be recommended for soil protection in semi-arid environments.

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“…California in the USA) listed biodiversity and sustainable soil management practices (Flores, 2017). Cover crops can cover part (between rows) or the entire vineyard floor (between rows and under-trellis) to decrease soil erosion, chemical and nutrient leaching and the need for synthetic weed control (Bavougian and Read, 2018;Karl et al, 2016). In general, certain consumer segments are interested in and show higher WTP for environmentally sustainable wines (Forbes et al, 2009;Sogari et al, 2016;Tait et al, 2019;Ghvanidze et al, 2019;McGarry Wolf and Higgins, 2017).…”

Section: Ijwbr 341mentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying wine consumers interested in environmentally sustainable production practices

Kelley

Todd

Hopfer

et al. 2021

IJWBR

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Purpose This study aims to characterize several wine consumer segments who were “likely” to sample (i.e. taste before purchasing) wine from vineyards using cover crops, a sustainable production practice that reduces herbicide applications, and identify those with a greater probability of being a viable target market based on survey responses. Design/methodology/approach A total of 956 wine consumers from the Mid-Atlantic and boarding US states were separated into segments based on an ECHAID (exhaustive Chi-square automatic interaction detector) classification tree from internet survey responses. Findings Out of the 12 created segments, 6 (n = 530, 72% of training data) contained participants who were at least 1.02 times (index score =102%) more “likely” to try the wine compared to the overall sample and were willing to pay $18.99 for a 750-mL bottle of the wine, which included a $1 surcharge to cover associated production costs. Of these, three (n = 195, 26%) had the greatest potential for which a marketing plan could be developed (index scores of 109%–121%), with over half in each segment willing to pay $20.99 for the bottle of wine, which could motivate growers to consider implementing this sustainable strategy. Originality/value Although several segments of participants were “likely” to sample the sustainably produced wine, an ECHAID classification tree allowed us to identify participants who would not pay $18.99 for a 750-mL bottle of wine, even after learning about the use of cover crops and the trade-off ($1 bottle surcharge). By narrowing the number of potential “likely” segments to those with a greater potential of sampling the wine, more purposeful marketing strategies can be developed based on demographics, attitudes, and behaviors defined in the model.

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Mulch and groundcover effects on soil temperature and moisture, surface reflectance, grapevine water potential, and vineyard weed management

Cited by 29 publications

References 37 publications

Wheat straw mulch improves summer maize productivity and soil properties

Wheat straw mulch improves summer maize productivity and soil properties

Effects of a Permanent Soil Cover on Water Dynamics and Wine Characteristics in a Steep Vineyard in the Central Spain

Identifying wine consumers interested in environmentally sustainable production practices

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