Revegetation of vineyard terrace embankments: A matter of seed mixture and seeding technique

Wersebeckmann, Vera; Entling, Martin H.; Leyer, Ilona

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115409

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…A mix of grasses and legumes as CC was established, aiming to improve soil fertility and reduce nitrate loss by leaching. These mixtures represented the best compromise between biomass production, N retention, N supply via biological N fixation and water maintenance [70,71]. Moreover, as observed in our trial, CC used mineral nitrate during its growth cycle, reducing the N-NO 3 − concentration in soil (Figure 4), and therefore the potential to lose it through leaching [72].…”

Section: Soil C and N Concentrationmentioning

confidence: 53%

Effects of Cover Crops and Drip Fertigation Regime in a Young Almond Agroecosystem

et al. 2022

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The sustainability of woody crop agroecosystems requires continued improvements to water, nutrient and soil management. In this work, the combination of resource availability or fertigation dose with soil management practices was tested in a 2 × 2 factorial design in a drip irrigated young almond orchard. The fertigation doses were: the farmer supply at 60% of crop evapotranspiration and full nutrient requirements and the half-farmer supply at 30% of crop evapotranspiration and half nutrient requirements. The soil management practices were: bare soil and cover crops in the inter-row (mixture of grasses and legumes). Tree growth, yield, water and nutrient status, and cover crop biomass and nutrient status were determined, as well as inter-row soil C and N concentration. Results showed that the effect of resource availability was independent of soil management and vice versa. The half farmer treatment reduced tree vegetative growth and yield compared to farmer treatment, due to a negative effect on the water status, without observing a decrease in the concentration of nutrients in leaves or fruit. Trees with cover crop also reduced growth and yield compared to bare soil management. This was due to a nutritional competition, mainly of Ca, Fe, Mn and Zn, rather than to a decline in tree water status. Cover crops sequester up to 1 t/ha/year of carbon but do not increase soil organic carbon, nor soil total nitrogen. Cover crops proved to be efficient in reducing soil nitrate concentration in the topsoil and therefore has potential to prevent its leaching. Deficit fertigation and the use of cover crops can be effective practices to preserve and save water and nutrient resources in Mediterranean agroecosystems, but should be established with caution so as not to compromise the profitability of the orchard.

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Section: Soil C and N Concentrationmentioning

confidence: 53%

Effects of Cover Crops and Drip Fertigation Regime in a Young Almond Agroecosystem

et al. 2022

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“…To overcome seed and dispersal limitations, reintroduction of target species is necessary (Rudolph et al., 2017) but proved difficult when vegetation cover is already established on embankments (data not shown, Bachelor thesis; Dries, 2020). By contrast, revegetating newly build terrace embankments with regional seed mixtures has been a promising approach (Wersebeckmann et al., 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, the accumulation of biomass favors fast‐growing grasses over the more conservation‐relevant target species in the long term. Second, the local diaspore bank in vineyards can be poor in species after decades of intensive viticultural management and nearby seed sources are often missing (Wersebeckmann et al., 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity through vineyard terracing

Wersebeckmann,

Burstedde,

Leyer

2024

Applied Vegetation Science

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QuestionsViticulture on steep slopes has shaped the landscape and biodiversity in many regions, but insufficient profitability has led to management cessation and shrub encroachment. A solution to maintain economically viable cultivation could be vineyard terracing. We aimed to identify the potential of terracing to enhance plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity in vineyards, analyze effects of management intensity on vineyard vegetation, and assess how plant communities change after vineyard abandonment.LocationWine‐growing region of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Hesse (50.042342° N, 7.814533° E) and Rhineland‐Palatinate (50.119139° N, 7.719275° E), Germany.MethodsWe recorded vascular plant species and local vineyard parameters in vertically oriented vineyards with vegetated and tilled open inter‐rows, in terraced vineyards with tilled terrace inter‐rows and extensively managed embankments, and in vineyard fallows in a total of 45 study sites. We used plant species richness, Ellenberg indicator values and Grime's strategy types to describe how traits and ecological requirements respond to distinct vineyard management.ResultsPlant species richness and composition were determined by management‐derived disturbance intensities. Extensively managed embankments had a distinct plant community, the highest plant species richness, more perennial and indicator species, and lower nitrogen indicator values compared with inter‐rows. By contrast, highly disturbed open and terrace inter‐rows revealed plant communities associated with annuals and ruderals, but species richness did not differ between terrace inter‐rows and embankments. The plant communities of fallows were completely different with lower plant diversity.ConclusionsOur results highlight the potential of terraced vineyards for plant diversity with nutrient poor, extensively managed embankments providing conditions that have become rare in modern agricultural systems. A long environmental gradient from terrace inter‐rows to embankments created habitat heterogeneity within a narrow space. By contrast, intensive inter‐row management in vertically oriented vineyards hampers high plant diversity and abandonment fosters the spread of woody species at the expanse of plant diversity.

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“…Besides, a substantial area is composed of embankments that remain uncropped and are managed extensively and could therefore provide valuable habitats within the agricultural system (Wersebeckmann et al, 2021). In particular, when properly revegetated, species‐rich embankment vegetation holds great potential to benefit flower‐visiting insects by providing floral resources and nesting sites (Wersebeckmann, Entling, & Leyer, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting effects of vineyard type, soil and landscape factors on ground‐ versus above‐ground‐nesting bees

Wersebeckmann

Warzecha

Entling

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Agricultural intensification and abandonment of traditional agricultural practices are main drivers of current insect declines. The resulting loss of feeding and nesting opportunities has led to a decrease in pollinator populations like wild bees. While the restoration of floral resources has been widely implemented in wild bee conservation, nesting resources, particularly for ground‐nesting species, are barely considered. We assessed wild bee diversity in a wine‐growing area in Germany in 15 study sites along a soil gradient and evaluated whether wild bees were distinctly affected by different vineyard types (vertically oriented, terraced, abandoned), local conditions (e.g. shrub and flower cover) and landscape factors in response to divergent nesting needs (above‐ground vs. ground‐nesting). We found that wild bees responded more strongly to the availability of nesting sites than to flower resources. While ground‐nesting bees were determined by the suitability of soil aspects for nesting irrespective of vineyard management types, above‐ground‐nesting bees profited from vineyard abandonment and shrub encroachment in vineyard fallows and were enhanced by the availability of semi‐natural habitats (SNHs) in the surrounding landscape. In contrast, floral resource availability in managed vineyards had only marginal effects on above‐ground‐nesting bees. Synthesis and applications: Life‐history traits like nesting strategies have long been neglected in wild bee conservation approaches, but proved to be highly relevant, especially for ground‐nesting bees. For this, agri‐environmental schemes can no longer solely focus on the restoration of floral resources, but should equally address nesting resources. Therefore, management efforts for enhancing wild bees in vineyard landscapes should aim at complementing nesting resources for ground‐nesting bees (e.g. exposed bare ground patches) and above‐ground‐nesting bees (e.g. woody elements, hedges) in addition to floral resources. At the landscape level, conserving heterogeneous landscapes at a mixture of actively managed vineyards and semi‐natural and woody elements is significant to maintain diverse bee communities.

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Revegetation of vineyard terrace embankments: A matter of seed mixture and seeding technique

Cited by 5 publications

References 43 publications

Effects of Cover Crops and Drip Fertigation Regime in a Young Almond Agroecosystem

Effects of Cover Crops and Drip Fertigation Regime in a Young Almond Agroecosystem

Promoting plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity through vineyard terracing

Contrasting effects of vineyard type, soil and landscape factors on ground‐ versus above‐ground‐nesting bees

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