Summary
A three-season field experiment in semiarid Mediterranean conditions (Israel) compared four vineyard floor management strategies: conventional control, selective herbicide promoting winter annual grasses, interrow tall fescue, and full-cover tall fescue. Perennial tall fescue treatments reduced vegetative growth and increased water stress, with progressive yield decline driven by reduced cluster numbers; selective herbicide treatment produced intermediate physiological and agronomic responses whilst promoting winter grasses that completed their life cycle before summer drought. Wines from full-cover tall fescue exhibited greater colour intensity by season three, and the study concludes that seasonal timing of ground-cover presence may balance ecosystem-service benefits against competitive effects on vine performance.
Regional applicability
This study's findings are directly relevant to United Kingdom viticulture, particularly in southern England where semiarid conditions during establishment and Mediterranean-style vineyard practices are increasingly adopted. The strategic use of seasonal cover crops to manage vine vigour whilst maintaining soil health during wet seasons aligns with UK vineyard intensification and may inform sustainable management practices in English wine regions.
Key measures
Stem water potential, vegetative growth, cluster numbers, cumulative yield, wine colour intensity, wine hue
Outcomes reported
The study measured vine water status, vegetative growth, yield components, and wine-colour attributes across three growing seasons under four different vineyard floor management strategies. Outcomes included stem water potential, cluster numbers, cumulative yield decline, and wine colour intensity and hue.
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