Soil Management Effects on Nutritional Status and Grapevine Performance

Cover Crop Management in a Chardonnay/99 Richter Vineyard in the Coastal Region, South Africa. 2. Effect of Different Cover Crops and Cover Crop Management Practices on Grapevine Performance

“…Chardonnay vines compared to that of the vines in which full surface chemical control was applied to a bare soil (Pinamonti et al, 1996;Tan & Crabtree, 1990;). Similar results were reported by Soyer et al (1984), Lombard et al (1988) and Sicher et al (1995). The P and K concentrations in the leaves of grapevines grown under a permanent grass cover crop were also significantly higher than those of grapevines grown under full surface chemical weed control or mechanical soil cultivation Soyer et al, 1984).…”

“…The use of a permanent cover crop or a naturally established permanent cover (sward) in the work row resulted in a reduction in grapevine vigour compared to grapevines grown under mulch (Lombard et al, 1988;Pool et al, 1990;Soyer et al, 1984;Van Huyssteen & Weber, 1980). A permanent grass cover crop or sward also reduced the pruning weight of grapevines in comparison with grapevines in which a clover mix was used as permanent cover crop (Ingels et Cover crop management in vineyard al., 2005), in which the weeds were disked in during early spring (Ingels et al, 2005;Pool et al, 1990;Van Huyssteen & Weber, 1980) and in which full surface chemical control was applied (Pinamonti et al, 1996;Sicher et al, 1995;Van Huyssteen & Weber, 1980). The use of a permanent cover crop or sward in the work row resulted in a significant reduction in grape yield compared to grapevines grown under other soil cultivation practices (Lombard et al, 1988;Pinamonti et al, 1996;Sicher et al, 1995;Soyer et al, 1984;Van Huyssteen & Weber, 1980).…”

“…A permanent grass cover crop or sward also reduced the pruning weight of grapevines in comparison with grapevines in which a clover mix was used as permanent cover crop (Ingels et Cover crop management in vineyard al., 2005), in which the weeds were disked in during early spring (Ingels et al, 2005;Pool et al, 1990;Van Huyssteen & Weber, 1980) and in which full surface chemical control was applied (Pinamonti et al, 1996;Sicher et al, 1995;Van Huyssteen & Weber, 1980). The use of a permanent cover crop or sward in the work row resulted in a significant reduction in grape yield compared to grapevines grown under other soil cultivation practices (Lombard et al, 1988;Pinamonti et al, 1996;Sicher et al, 1995;Soyer et al, 1984;Van Huyssteen & Weber, 1980). Pool et al (1990) and Ingels et al (2005), however, reported no difference, whereas Anonymous (1984) reported higher yields for grapevines with a permanent cover crop in comparison with grapevines in which other soil cultivation practices were applied.…”

Cover Crop Management in a Chardonnay/99 Richter Vineyard in the Coastal Region, South Africa. 3. Effect of Different Cover Crops and Cover Crop Management Practices on Organic Matter and Macro-nutrient Content of a Medium-textured Soil

“…After six years of applying no tillage treatments and mechanical soil cultivation on a Hernando loamy fine sand, the soil from the no-tillage treatments averaged 27% more organic matter than the mechanically-cultivated treatment in the 0 to 150 mm soil layer (Gallaher and Ferrer, 1987). The organic matter content in grassed soil-management treatments was significantly higher than that in the full-surface chemical control and mechanically-cultivated treatments (Sicher et al, 1995). Approximately 5 to 6 t/ha of plant residue is necessary to maintain the organic C level in soil (Larson et al, 1972;Rasmussen et al, 1980).…”

“…The effect of vineyard floor management practices on organic matter content was largely confined to the 0 to 200 mm soil layer (Sicher et al, 1995). According to Laker (1990) and Merwin and Stiles (1994), intensive clean cultivation reduced the organic matter content of the topsoil over the long term.…”