Download The Impact of Growing Cover Crops in Vineyards on Soil Health

The Impact of Growing Cover
Crops in Vineyards on Soil
Health
Kathryn Carter, Anne Verhallen, and Deanna
Nemeth (OMAFRA), Mehdi Sharifi (AAFC)
Background
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Hilling and burying vines for winter
protection impacts soil health
Grapes are grown on soils that are
vulnerable to soil erosion,
Background
Cover crops (CC) can:
• ↑ soil organic N levels,
• ↑ increase organic matter and biological
activity,
• ↑ soil fertility, structure and water
holding capacity and
• ↓ erosion and vigour.
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Objectives
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Screen 5 cover crops treatments in 3
grape growing regions and evaluate their
impacts on:
soil properties,
nitrogen dynamics,
yield
vine growth
fruit quality
Methodology
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2014 through 2015 in 3 vineyards (LENS,
NIA, PEC).
CC treatments included:
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annual ryegrass (AR),
annual ryegrass and red clover (AR + RC),
annual ryegrass and forage radish (AR + FR),
creeping red fescue and microclover (CF+MC),
super mix- oats(20%), Italian ryegrass (40%), red
clover (10%), alfalfa (10%), alsike clover(10%), and
forage radish (10%).
Methodology
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3 replicates of each CC treatment per site
(15 plots per site total), RCBD.
CC applied in July
soil fertility samples: collected in late
May/early June
NO3- and NH4+ collected in May, at bloom,
harvest
soil bulk density
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Cover crop sampling
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CC sampling bloom, veraison and harvest
2 x 0.25 m2 quadrants per plot
photos used to assess the CC establish.
plant material cut and sorted (CC and
weeds) weighed, and dried.
Fruit Sampling
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Fruit was harvested from 5 vines in each
plot
average cluster weight
100 grapes from each plot: Brix, titratable
Acidity (TA) and Yeast Assimilable
Nitrogen (YAN).
Results
CF+MC
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AR+FR
Super Mix
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AR+RC
Soil nitrate concentration during the
growing season in Niagara site in 2015
No differences
between CC
treatment and nitrate
levels in 2014. But
differences in 2015
at some sites.
Soil nitrate concentration during the
growing season in PEC site in 2015
Seasonal uptake of Nitrogen (Conradie, 1980.)
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Poor growth lots of weeds
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N, L, P
Cover crop biomass (top) and weed
biomass (bottom)
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Cover crops biomass
2014
2015
Results: Yield
Conclusions
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CF+MC not recommended due to poor
establishment
Super mix-high costs did not result in
increased benefits
AR+FR had high CC biomass and weed
suppression (NIA and LENS)
AR+RC and AR+FR did well in PEC
Conclusions
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Yield impacts inconclusive (AR decreased
yield in PEC in 2014)
No impact on grape quality
Extended study until 2018 to get long
term results.
Poor establishment of cover
crops in 2016 due to dry
weather.
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Thank you
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Grower co-operators
Funding: NPFVGA, BMPVP (OMAFRA),
GGO
Dr. Andy Reynolds and Dr. Helen Fisher
Margaret Appleby, Amanda Green
Summer students-Litza Coello, Gerrit
Boersma, Clair Hughes