Understanding the Quality of Local Vineyard Soils in Distinct Viticultural Areas: A Case Study in Alcubillas (La Mancha, Central Spain)

Abstract

The essential features of the soils of a pilot zone in La Mancha (Central Spain), namely the Alcubillas municipability, have been characterized. The soil properties that may contribute to a better understanding of the impact of soil on grape production have also, been evaluated. For this, several soil profiles have been described and analyzed and the profiles have been mapped. The soils are mainly Entisols, Inceptisols and Alfisols, with their evolution controlled by the action of a xerophytic Mediterranean climate. Most of these soils have a loamy clay texture, with medium clay contents and sufficient nutrient contents (despite the low content in organic matter 1.39% and 1.04%, and the high concentrations of calcium carbonate 23.7% and 26.9% in the surface and subsurface horizons, respectively). Drainage problems were not observed and it can therefore be stated that the Alcubillas vineyards are based on a ‘terroir’ term for the production of high quality grapes. In general, the soils are not subjected to treatments to control possible diseases or pests and we have therefore postulated that the soils represent the ideal scenario to establish a distinctive zone and for the increasingly valued ecological and natural viticulture.

An Environmental Approach to Understanding the Expansion of Future Vineyards: Case Study of Soil Developed on Alluvial Sediments

“…The soil textural classes were silty loam in all soil horizons. The bulk density values varied between 0.90 g/cm 3 and 1.46 g/cm 3 . An ideal bulk density for root growth, based on sandy loams and loam-textural soils, should be lower than 1.40 g/cm 3 [29].…”

“…In the last few decades, the production of wine has notably increased worldwid Often, production has focused on the creation of new wine-growing areas, as occur La Mancha. The soil used-and its characteristics, such as depth, permeability, stru fertility, acidity, texture, etc.-affects vine root growth and nutrient absorption [3][4][5] According to a previous study carried out by Garcia-Navarro et al (2018) [2 fisols, Inceptisols and Entisols are the main soil types in the Villanueva Alcardete (T area. Many Alfisols are also called Terra Rossa or red Mediterranean soil, a common used to indicate soils formed on karst areas in a Mediterranean climate.…”

“…It is also an essential component of the valued Mediterranean diet, as is the case with olive oil. In Mediterranean environments, leaching and the accumulation of carbonates, clay illuviation and rubefaction are some of the most common morphological soil features to have been widely reported [2,3].…”

“…Dubey et al [8] stated that the development of suitable packages of integrated agronomic practices was essential for agricultural sustainability. Many studies related to land suitability for vineyard cultivation have been conducted in different areas ( [3][4][5][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Indeed, soil is a key component of wine production [16,17].…”

Macro- and microelements occurence in soil and plant (leaves) samples of a representative and potentially sustainable Mediterranean vineyard

“…At this site the majority of the soils are Alfisols, Inceptisols and Entisols according to Soil Taxonomy (Soil Survey Staff 2014) and Luvisols, Calcisols, Cambisols, Regosols and Leptsols according to FAO- UNESCO-ISSS (2006). The dominant formation is constitued by Red soils (Alfisols) with calcic or petrocalcic horizons (Jiménez-Ballesta et al 2020).…”