The Current Stage of Greening Vegetation in Selected Wine-Regions of South Moravian Region (Czech Republic)

Abstract

Viticulture, as a large part of the agriculture sector of the South Moravian Region, represents significant erosion-prone land use in which soils face various agronomic issues, such as poor organic carbon levels, erosion, and fertility loss. Service crops providing a so-called ecosystem service can reduce erosion and runoff, regulate pests and weeds and increase soil organic matter and fertility. However, these crops may generate some disservices, such as water and nutrient competition; and thus, it is important for winegrowers to find applicable options for service crops depending on local soil, climate conditions, and the expected service. Inter-row management in the South Moravian Region varies from bare soils to grass cover to different types of cover with herbaceous (flowering) species. A total of 113 vineyard sites were evaluated during the years 2016 and 2017. This study presents the actual state of inter-row management in vineyards and comparison within six wine-growing regions. A two-year evaluation shows significant differences in prevalent greening management between regions. Bare soil in vineyards, the most erosion-prone vineyard floor management, appear from 10% (e.g., Bzenec, Valtice) to 19% (e.g., Mikulov, V. Bílovice) of vineyard area within evaluated regions. Bare soil management is mostly used in new plantations to reduce water and nutrient competition; however, the erosion and the runoff rates are generally higher on this variant compared to other types of cover crop management, especially on slopes. Although, alternate greening is the most used type occurring from 50% to 74% of vineyards area in five of the six selected regions, the type of inter-row vegetation differs considerably. While in Bzenec and Mikulov there is a higher appearance of herbaceous cover with native species in later succession stages, in Velké Bílovice and Valtice grass cover and commercial plant mixtures are more frequent. Knowledge current stage can be useful for planning new plantation or anti-erosion measures.

Effect of plot size and precipitation magnitudes on the activation of soil erosion processes using simulated rainfall experiments in vineyards

“…However, although the eastern part of the Czech Republic is known as a traditional wine-producing region, little experimental research has been performed on this topic. (Burg et al, 2017;Cizkova et al, 2019;Ragasová et al, 2019). Scientists around the world focus on soil erosion in vineyards, but studies in the Czech Republic are still scarce.…”

Public recreation and landscape protection - with environment hand in hand…

“…Grasses represent a significant source of risk for fire (Ryspekov et al, 2021;Winkler et al, 2021). Grass species are an important part of vineyard vegetation in Moravian vineyards (Lišková et al, 2016;Maxianová et al, 2016;Ragasová et al, 2019). Dicotyledonous species (including vines) produce biomass that allows fires to continue.…”

The Impact of Temperature and Precipitation Change on the Production of Grapes in the Czech Republic

“…Geographically, the viticulture in the Czech Republic is located in two main wine-growing areas, namely, the wine-growing region of Bohemia and the wine-growing region of Moravia. In the Moravia region, vine growing is a historically established practice, mainly due to the very favorable climatic conditions and high soil quality, which are suitable for vine growing [34]. More than 90% of the total vineyard area in the Czech Republic are located in this region [35].…”