Soil microbiological properties and its stratification ratios for soil quality assessment under different cover crop management systems in a semiarid vineyard

Abstract

In vineyards in Spain, tillage and semiarid Mediterranean climatic conditions accelerate organic matter loss from the soil. Cover crops are a conservation management practice that can provoke changes in soil quality which requires evaluation. Stratification ratios of soil properties such as soil organic C and labile C fractions have been proposed for the assessment of soil quality under different soil management systems. Our objective was to study the effect of different cover crop management on various soil parameters and their stratification ratios. We evaluated three different soil managements in a Typic Haploxerept from NE Spain: conventional tillage (CT); 5‐y continuous cover crop of resident vegetation (RV); and 4‐y continuous cover crop of Festuca longifolia Thuill., followed by 1‐y Bromus catharticus L. after resowing (BV). We monitored soil organic C, particulate organic C, water soluble C, potentially mineralizable N, microbial biomass C, β‐glucosidase and urease enzymatic activities, and water stable aggregates at 0–2.5, 2.5–5, 5–15, 15–25, and 25–45 cm soil depths. We calculated soil depth stratification ratios of those soil properties. Resident cover crop increased microbiological properties, labile C fractions, and aggregation with respect to conventional tillage at 0–2.5 and 2.5–5 cm soil depths. However, for Bromus cover crop the same soil properties were lower than for the resident cover crop at 0–2.5 cm depth. Stratification ratios of β‐glucosidase and urease enzymatic activities, and particulate organic C showed a higher sensitivity than other soil properties; therefore, they would be the best indicators for soil quality assessment in semiarid Mediterranean vineyards.

A life cycle assessment of Agaricus bisporus mushroom production in the USA

“…While additional C may be beneficial to a soil, SMS is modeled to displace soil amendments that provide nutrients only. It is important to note that the C content in SMS is a labile form that does not contribute to soil aggregate formation nor long-term soil C sequestration (Peregrina et al 2014); as such, this study applies no C sequestration credits for the C content of SMS. This assumption errs on the side of undervaluing the C content of SMS from a carbon accounting standpoint.…”

Influence of two different cover crops on soil N availability, N nutritional status, and grape yeast-assimilable N (YAN) in a cv. Tempranillo vineyard

“…In addition, the soils of La Rioja vineyards have a low organic matter content (<1 %) and a loamy texture (Peregrina et al 2010a), and consequently, they are highly susceptible to erosion. Recent studies indicate that the use of permanent cover crops in AOC Rioja vineyard can increase both organic carbon and stable aggregates in the soil thus improving soil quality (Peregrina et al 2010b(Peregrina et al , 2014. Also, cover crops can decrease the soil N availability (Peregrina et al 2012;Pérez-Álvarez et al 2013a).…”

Cover crops and pruning in Bobal and Tempranillo vineyards have little influence on grapevine nutrition

“…Cover cropping is a management practice used worldwide which can affect soil properties, water and mineral status, organic matter contents and microbiological function in soils (Celette et al, 2009;Guerra and Steenwerth, 2012;Peregrina et al, 2014). Various experiments have tested the effects of cover crops on grapevine performance, mainly in regions with summer rainfall, and have reported positive results because of competition for nutrients and water.…”