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Abstract. Vineyards are one of the eco-geomorphological systems most conditioned by human activity in Germany. The vineyards of the Ruwer Valley (Germany) are characterized by high soil erosion rates and rill problems on steep slopes (between 23 and 26 • ) caused by the increasingly frequent heavy rainfall events as well as deterioration due to incorrect land use managements.The objective of this paper is to determine and to quantify the hydrological and erosive phenomena in one vineyard in Germany during different seasons and under different management conditions (before, during and after vintage).For this purpose, a combined methodology was applied. Climatic (rainfall depth distributions and return periods), pedological (soil analysis and classification), geomorphological (sediment movements and rills evolution) and biological (botanic marks on the vines) variables were used on the two experimental plots in the village of Waldrach (Trier, region of Rhineland-Palatinate).The results showed high infiltration rates (near 100 %) and subsurface flow which were detected by rainfall simulations performed at different times of the year (between September and December). The highest variations of the monitored rills (lateral and frontal movements) were noted before and during vintage, when footsteps occurred concentrated during a short period of time (between September and October). Finally, two maps of soil loss were generated, indicated by botanic marks on the graft union of the vines. 62.5 t ha −1 yr −1 soil loss was registered in the experimental plots of the new vineyards (2 years), while 3.4 t ha −1 yr −1 was recorded in the old one (35 years).

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Abstract:It is well known that rainfall causes soil erosion in sloping German vineyards, but little is known about the effect of age of plantation on soil erosion, which is relevant to understand and design sustainable management systems. In the Ruwer-Mosel valley, young (1-to 4-years) and old (35-to 38-years after the plantation) vineyards were selected to assess soil and water losses by using two-paired Gerlach troughs over three years (2013)(2014)(2015). In the young vineyard, the overland flow was 107 L m -1 and soil loss 1000 g m -1 in the year of the plantation, and decreased drastically over the two subsequent years (19 L m -1 ; 428 g m -1 ). In the old vineyard, soil (from 1081 g m -1 to 1308 g m -1 ) and water (from 67 L m -1 to 102 L m -1 ) losses were 1.2 and 1.63 times higher, respectively, than in the young vineyard.

Abstract. Vineyards are one of the most German conditioned eco-geomorphological systems by human activity. Precisely, the vineyards of the Ruwer Valley (Germany) is characterized by high soil erosion rates and rill problems on steep slopes (between 23–26°) caused by the increasingly frequent heavy rainfall events, what is sometimes enhanced by incorrect land use managements. Soil tillage before and after vintage, application of vine training systems and anthropic rills generated by wheel tracks and footsteps are observed along these cultivated area. The objective of this paper is to determine and to quantify the hydrological and erosive phenomena in two chosen vineyards, during diverse seasons and under different management conditions (before, during and after vintage). For this purpose, a combined methodology was applied. Investigating climatic, pedological, geomorphological and botanic-marks variables was suggested on the two experimental plot in the village of Waldrach (Trier, region of Rhineland-Palatinate). First, high infiltration rates (near 100%) and subsurface flow was detected by rainfall simulations performed at different times of the year. The second method to investigate the geomorphological response of slope inclination, two 10 m and one 30 m long rills were measured using geometrical channel cross-section index, depth and width. The highest variations (lateral and frontal movements) were noted before and during vintage, when footsteps occurred in a concentrated short time. Finally, two maps were generated of soil loss, indicated by the botanic marks on the graft union of the vines. As results 62.5 t−1 ha−1 yr−1 soil loss rate was registered (one year) on the experimental plots of the new vineyards, while 4.3 t−1 ha−1 yr−1 on the old one.

The Mosel Wine region has suffered during the last decades a decrease in productive area, mostly on steep sloping vineyards. To avoid the spread of diseases, the extraction of grapevines on abandoned vineyards is mandatory in Rhineland-Palatinate. At the same time, the organic production of wine is growing slowly, but well established in the area. We assess in this paper the degree of the land-use changes, as well as their effect on runoff generation and sediment production, depending on the age of the abandonment, as well as the type and age of the land management, whether organic or conventional. Land use data were obtained to identify land-use change dynamics. For assessment of runoff generation and soil erosion, we applied rainfall simulation experiments on the different types of vineyard management. These were organically managed, conventionally managed and abandoned ones, all of varying ages. During the last decades of the last century, a decrease of around 30% of vineyard surface could be observed in Germany’s Mosel Wine Region, affecting mostly the steep sloping vineyards. Despite a high variability within the types of vineyard management, the results show higher runoff generation, and soil erosion associated with recently installed or abandoned vineyards when compared to organic management of the vineyards, where erosion reached only 12%. In organic management, runoff and erosion are also reduced considerably, less than 16%, after a decade or more. Thus, organic vineyard management practices show to be very efficient for reduction of runoff and erosion. Consequently, we recommend to adopt as far as possible these soil management practices for sustainable land management of steep sloping vineyards. In addition, soil protection measures are highly recommended for vineyard abandonment according to the law.

ABSTRACT. For a long time, studies concerning erosion caused by concentrated overland flow mainly dealt with the erosion and the transport of fine material. More recent studies have shown that rock fragments reduce the intensity of soil erosion processes on the one hand, but on the other hand rock fragment movements also have been observed both in the rill