https://doi.org/10.4081/ija.2020.1763
Permanent cover for soil and water conservation in mechanized vineyards: A study case in Piedmont, NW Italy
Published: 17 December 2020
Abstract Views: 1235
PDF: 525
HTML: 27
HTML: 27
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Vineyards’ soils are especially threatened by the risk of soil compaction and soil erosion, with negative consequences for wine production and provisioning of ecosystem services. The adopted inter-rows soil management influences the response of vineyard to different types of rainfall events, in terms of runoff and soil erosion. Actually, the use of cover crops in vineyards is widely considered as an effective measure for conservation of water and soil. A 3-years study was carried out in Piedmont (NW Italy) to evaluate the effectiveness of grass cover as a soil water conservation measure, compared with tillage, and particularly the influence of different types of rainfall events and tractor traffic in determining hydrological and erosive response of the vineyard. During the investigation period (November 2016 - December 2019), climate variables, runoff, and soil losses were continuously monitored along with vineyard management operations. Very different yearly precipitation characterized the observed period, including the driest and wettest year in the last 20 years. Runoff and soil erosion caused by different types of rainfall events (long-lasting, intense and normal) in two vineyard’s plots managed with permanent grass cover and tillage, respectively, have been compared. In addition, the influence of the number of tractor traffic was taken into account. Runoff volume was principally affected by soil management, while sediment yield was influenced by the type of event. Both were higher in the tilled plot than in the grassed one, for all types of events, even if differences were not always significant. Grass cover reduced by 65% the runoff, with the highest efficiency during intense events. Soil losses were reduced on average by 72%, with 74% efficiency during the most erosive intense events and the lowest protection (56%) during long-lasting rainfall. Moreover, the response of grass cover plot was less influenced by traffication. The study demonstrates the efficiency of grass cover in reducing water and soil losses also during extreme events, that are predicted to be more frequent in the climate change scenario.
Highlights
- Runoff volume was principally affected by soil management.
- Sediment yield was influenced by the type of event.
- Intense events result in the highest sediment losses.
- Grass cover reduced by 65% the runoff, with the highest efficiency during intense events.
- Tractor traffic caused a significant reduction of water that could infiltrate into the soil, recharging it.
Aguilera E, Lassaletta L, Gattinger A, Gimeno B S, 2013. Managing soil carbon for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Mediterranean cropping systems: A meta-analysis. Agr., Ecosyst. Environ. 16825-36.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.02.003
ARS-USDA, 2015. RIST Rainfall Intensity Summarization Tool. Available online: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=3251 (accessed on 04/04/2020).
Bagagiolo G, Biddoccu M, Rabino D, Cavallo E, 2018. Effects of rows arrangement, soil management, and rainfall characteristics on water and soil losses in Italian sloping vineyards. Environ. Res. 166:690-704.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.06.048
Biancotti A, Bellardone G, Bovo S, Cagnazzi B, Giacomelli L, Marchisio C, 1998. Distribuzione Regionale di Piogge e Temperature. Collana Studi Climatologici del Piemonte, vol 1. Regione Piemonte, Torino, Italy.
Biddoccu M, Ferraris S, Cavallo E, Opsi F, Previati M, Canone D, 2013. Hillslope Vineyard Rainfall-Runoff Measurements in Relation to Soil Infiltration and Water Content. In: Four decades of progress in monitoring and modeling of processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere system: applications and challenges. Procedia Environ. Sci. 19:351-360.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2013.06.040
Biddoccu M, Ferraris S, Opsi F, Cavallo E, 2016. Long-term monitoring of soil management effects on runoff and soil erosion in sloping vineyards in Alto Monferrato (North-West Italy). Soil Till. Res. 155:176-189.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2015.07.005
Biddoccu M, Ferraris S, Pitacco A, Cavallo E, 2017. Temporal variability of soil management effects on soil hydrological properties, runoff and erosion at the field scale in a hillslope vineyard, North-West Italy. Soil Till. Res. 165:46–58.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2016.07.017
Bogunovic I, Bilandzija D, Andabaka Z, Stupic D, Comino J R, Cacic M, Brezinscak L, Maletic E, Pereira P, 2017. Soil compaction under different management practices in a Croatian vineyard. Arab. J. Geosci. 10, 340.
Brown LC, Foster GR, 1987. Storm erosivity using idealized intensity distributions. Trans. ASAE 30 (2): 379-386.
Capello G, Biddoccu M, Cavallo E, 2019a. L’influenza della gestione del suolo e del traffico agricolo sulla conservazione dell’acqua e del suolo: un caso studio in Piemonte. Atti del XXII Convegno Nazionale di Agrometeorologia - Ricerca ed innovazione per la gestione del rischio meteo - climatico in agricoltura, pp 38-43. Bologna: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie - Università di Bologna.
Capello G, Biddoccu M, Ferraris S, Cavallo E, 2019b. Effects of tractor passes on hydrological and soil erosion processes in tilled and grassed vineyards. Water 11(10), 2118.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w11102118
Capello G, Biddoccu M, Ferraris S, Pitacco A, Cavallo E, 2017. Year-round variability of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity and runoff in tilled and grassed vineyards. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 58:739-744.
Castillo V M, Gomez-Plaza A, MartÃnez-Mena M, 2003. The role of antecedent soil water content in the runoff response of semiarid catchments: a simulation approach. J. Hydrol. 284:114–130.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(03)00264-6
CEC, 2006a. Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European economic and social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. Brussels, 22.9.2006, COM, 231 final.
CEC, 2006b. Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the protection of soil and amending Directive 2004/35/EC. Brussels, 22.9.2006, COM, 232 final.
CEC, 2009. Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of 19 January 2009 Establishing Common Rules for Direct Support Schemes for Farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy and Establishing Certain Support Schemes for Farmers, Amending Regulations (EC) No 1290/2005, (EC) No 247/2006, (EC) No 378/2007 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003. European Union, Brussels https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32009R0073 (accessed on 29/04/2020).
Celette F, Gaudin R, Gary C, 2008. Spatial and temporal changes to the water regime of a Mediterranean vineyard due to the adoption of cover cropping. Eur. J. Agron. 29:153–162.
Celette F, Ripoche A, Gary C, 2010. WaLIS - a simple model to simulate water partitioning in a crop association: the example of an intercropped vineyard. Agric. Water Manage. 97:1749–1759.
Corti G, Cavallo E, Cocco S, Biddoccu M, Brecciaroli G, Agnelli A, 2011. Evaluation of Erosion Intensity and Some of Its Consequences in Vineyards from Two Hilly Environments Under a Mediterranean Type of Climate, Italy, Soil Erosion Issues in Agriculture, Danilo Godone and Silvia Stanchi, IntechOpen. Available from: https://www.intechopen.com/books/soil-erosion-issues-in-agriculture/evaluation-of-erosion-intensity-and-some-of-its-consequences-in-vineyards-from-two-hilly-environment
Dolšak D, Bezak N, Šraj M, 2016. Temporal characteristics of rainfall events under three climate types in Slovenia. J. Hydrol. 541:1395–1405.
FAO & ITPS, 2015. Status of the World’s Soil Resources (Main Report). FAO, 608.
FAO, 2020. Sustainable Development Goals. Available from: http://www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals/mdg/en/
FAO/ISRIC/ISSS, 1998. World reference base for soil resources. World Soil Resources Report, No. 84. FAO, Rome.
Fernández-Ragaa M, Palenciaa C, Keesstrab S, Jordánd A, Frailea R, Angulo-MartÃneze M, Cerdà b A, 2017. Splash erosion: A review with unanswered questions. Earth-Sci. Rev. 171:463–477.
Ferrero A, Usowicz B, Lipiec J, 2005. Effects of Tractor Traffic on Spatial Variability of Soil Strength and Water Content in Grass Covered and Cultivated Sloping Vineyard. Soil Till. Res. 84:127– 138.
Foronda-Robles C, 2018. The territorial redefinition of the Vineyard Landscape in the sherry wine region (Spain). Misc. Geogr. 22:95-101.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2018-0010
Gaál L, Molnar P, Szolgay J, 2014. Selection of intense rainfall events based on intensity thresholds and lightning data in Switzerland. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 18:1561–1573.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1561-2014
Garcia L, Celette F, Gary C, Ripoche A, Valdés-Gómez H, Metay A, 2018. Management of service crops for the provision of ecosystem services in vineyards: A review. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 251:158-170.
Gómez JA, Vanwallenghem T, De Hoces A, Taguas E V, 2014. Hydrological and erosive response of a small catchement under olive cultivation in a vertic soil during a five-year period: implications for sustainability. Agr. Ecosyst. Environ. 188:229–244.
Guzmán G, Cabezas JM, Sánchez-Cuesta R, Lora Bauer T, Strauss P, Winter S, Zaller J G, Gómez JA, 2019. A field evaluation of the impact of temporary cover crops on soil properties and vegetation communities in southern Spain vineyards. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 272:135–145.
Hamza MA, Anderson WK, 2005. Soil compaction in cropping systems: a review of the nature, causes and possible solutions. Soil Till. Res. 82:121–145.
Horn R, Smucker A, 2005. Structure formation and its consequences for gas and water transport in unsaturated arable and forest soils. Soil Till. Res. 82:5-14.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2005.01.002
Horton R E, 1933. The role of infiltration in the hydrologic cycle. Trans. Am. Geophys. Union. 14th Ann. Mtg: 446–460.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/TR014i001p00446
IPCC, 2014. IPCC Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Geneva, Switzerland.
Lagacherie P, Coulouma G, Ariagno P, Virat P, Boizard H, Richard G, 2006. Spatial variability of soil compaction over a vineyard region in relation with soils and cultivation operations. Geoderma. 134:207–216.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2005.10.006
Li Z, Fang H, 2016. Impacts of climate change on water erosion: a review. Earth-Sci. Rev. 163:94–117.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.10.004
Matthews G P, Laudone G M, Gregory A S, Bird N R A, Matthews A G D, Whalley W R, 2010. Measurement and simulation of the effect of compaction on the pore structure and saturated hydraulic conductivity of grassland and arable soil. Water Resour. Res. 46:1–13.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2009WR007720
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC, USA.
Nicholls C I, Altieri M A, Ponti L, 2008. Enhancing plant diversity for improved insect pest management in Northern California organic vineyards. Acta Horticulturae 785:263-278.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.785.32
Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) State of the Vitiviniculture World Market - April 2019 Available online: http://www.oiv.int/en/technical-standards-anddocuments/statistical-analysis/state-of-vitiviniculture (accessed on Mar 23, 2020).
Panagos P, Ballabio C, Borrelli P, Meusburger K, Klik A, Rousseva S, Tadić M P, Michaelides S, HrabalÃková M, Olsen P, Aalto J, Lakatos M, Rymszewicz A, Dumitrescu A, BeguerÃa S, Alewell C, 2015a. Rainfall erosivity in Europe. Sci. Total Environ. 511:801–814.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.008
Panagos P, Borrelli P, Poesen J, Ballabio C, Lugato E, Meusburger K, Montanarella L, Alewell C, 2015b. The new assessment of soil loss by water erosion in Europe. Environ. Sci. Policy. 54:438–447.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.08.012
R Core Team, 2020. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. Available online: https://www.R-project.org/ (accessed on 29/02/2020).
Raclot D, Le Bissonais Y, Louchart Y, Andrieux P, Moussa R, Voltz M, 2009. Soil tillage and scale effects on erosion from fields to catchment in a Mediterranean vineyard area. Agr. Ecosyst. Environ. Catena. 66:198–210.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2009.06.019
Raffelli G, Previati M, Canone D, Gisolo G, Bevilacqua I, Capello G, Biddoccu M, Cavallo E, Deiana R, Cassiani G, Ferraris S, 2017. Local and plot-scale measurements of soil moisture: time and spatially resolved field techniques in plain, hill and mountain sites. Water 9:706.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w9090706
Regione Piemonte, 2015. Programma di Sviluppo Rurale PSE 2007–2013. Available online: https://www.regione.piemonte.it/web/sites/default/files/media/documenti/2019-03/psr2007_2013_piemonte_11_25set2015_dic15.pdf (accessed on 01 July 2020).
Renard K G, Foster G R, Weesies G A, McCool D K, Yoder D C, 1997. Predicting Soil Erosion by Water: A Guide to Conservation Planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Handbook No. 703, USDA Washington, DC, USA.
Rodrigo-Comino J, Brevik E C, Cerdà A, 2018. The age of vines as a controlling factor of soil erosion processes in Mediterranean vineyards. Sci. Total Environ. 616–617:1163-1173.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.204
Ruiz-Colmenero M, Bienes R, Marques M J, 2011. Soil and water conservation dilemmas associated with the use of green cover in steep vineyards. Soil Tillage Res. 117 :211–223.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2011.10.004
Sansom J, Thomson PJ, 1992. Rainfall classification using breakpoint pluviograph data. J. Climate. 5:755–764.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1992)005<0755:RCUBPD>2.0.CO;2
Servizio Geologico d'Italia, 1969. Carta Geologica d′Italia alla scala 1:100.000. Available online: http://193.206.192.231/carta_geologica_italia/cartageologica.htm (accessed on 28 December 2019).
Sohne W, 1953. Druckverteilung im Boden und Boden-verformung unter Schlepper Reifen. Grundlagen der Landtechnik. 5:49-63.
Soil Survey Staff, 2010. Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 11th ed. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC, USA.
Spinelli R, Magagnotti N, Cavallo E, Capello G, Biddoccu M, 2019. Reducing soil compaction after thinning work in agroforestry plantations. Agroforest Syst. 93:1765–1779.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-018-0279-6
Taguas EV, Peña A, Ayuso J L, Pérez R, Yuan Y, Giráldez J V, 2010. Rainfall variability and hydrological and erosive response of an olive tree microcatchment under no-tillage with a spontaneous grass cover in Spain. Earth Surf. Process. Landf. 35:750–760.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1893
Terry JP, Shakesby RA, 1993. Simulated rainfall and photographic evidence. Earth Surf. Process. Landf. 18:519–525.
Tropeano D, 1984. Rate of soil erosion processes on vineyards in Central Piedmont (NW Italy). Earth Surf. Process. Landf. 9:253–266.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3290090305
UNESCO, 2020. Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. Available online: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1390 (accessed on 29/02/2020).
Van Leeuwen C, Friant P, Choné X, Koundouras S, Dubourdieu D, 2004. Influence of climate, soil, and cultivar on terroir. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 55:207-217.
Verheijen FGA, Jones R JA, Rickson RJ, 2009. Tolerable versus actual soil erosion rates in Europe. Earth Sci. Rev. 94:23–38.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.02.003
Wang Y, Zhang B, 2017. Chapter Four - Interception of Subsurface Lateral Flow Through Enhanced Vertical Preferential Flow in an Agroforestry System Observed Using Dye-Tracing and Rainfall Simulation Experiments, Editor(s): Steven A. Banwart, Donald L. Sparks, Advances in Agronomy, Academic Press. 142:99-118.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2016.10.014
Winter S, Bauer T, Strauss P, Kratschmer S, Paredes D, Popescu D, Landa B, Guzmán G, Gómez JA, Guernion M, Zaller JG, Batáry P, 2018. Effects of vegetation management intensity on biodiversity and ecosystem services in vineyards: a meta-analysis. J. Appl. Ecol. 55:2484-2495.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13124
WMO, 2016. Guidelines on the Definition and Monitoring of Extreme Weather and Climate Events. World Meteorological Organization. (December 2015), 62 pp.
How to Cite
Capello, G., Biddoccu, M., & Cavallo, E. (2020). Permanent cover for soil and water conservation in mechanized vineyards: A study case in Piedmont, NW Italy. Italian Journal of Agronomy, 15(4), 323–331. https://doi.org/10.4081/ija.2020.1763
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
