Species‐dependent effect of cover cropping on trace elements and nutrients in vineyard soil and Vitis

Abstract

BACKGROUND The research focused on the evaluation of the impact of cover cropping on trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Co and Cd) and nutrients in vineyard soils and Vitis vinifera L. For this purpose, two types of cover crops (Lolium perenne L. and Medicago sativa L.) and their mixture were planted between vine rows of Muscat white in the vineyard in South Crimea. Trace elements, nutrients and other parameters were analyzed in the soil layers, leaves and grapevines of control and cover cropped plots. RESULTS The effect of cover cropping was dependent on applied plant species. Ryegrass (L. perenne L.) seems to compete with V. vinifera L. for nutrients – these were lower in the soil and vines of the treated plot. In parallel, lead (Pb) bioconcentration in grapevines was reduced. In contrast, under lucerne (M. sativa L.), nitrogen in the soil and vines, and trace metal bioconcentration (Fe, Pb and Co) were higher. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that cover cropping can influence the chemical composition of soil and vines. This should be considered when selecting cover crops. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen pools are increased by mixed grass and legume cover crops in vineyard agroecosystems: Detecting short-term management effects using infrared spectroscopy

“…Despite the potential benefits of cover cropping, there is industry resistance to incorporating grasses in the under-vine region because of perceived cover crop-vine nitrogen competition, which has been indicated in previous studies, but not assessed in mixed grass+legume cultivations (Celette et al 2009;King & Berry 2005b;Vystavna et al 2020). Not only were yields and fruit quality unaffected by the cover cropping treatments in our study, we demonstrated that the combination of grass and legume cover crops in the under-vine region represents a more valuable contribution towards the building and maintenance of OC and N in the rooting zone, where vines can access it, than legume cover crops alone.…”