Cover crops in viticulture. A systematic review (1): Implications on soil characteristics and biodiversity in vineyard

Abstract

This work seeks to synthesise the knowledge on the use of cover crops in vineyards in the last 20 years, emphasising on the one hand, soil characteristics such as nutrition, organic carbon, structure or erosion and, on the other hand, environmental factors such as soil and biodiversity in vineyards, and gas emissions.A systematic review was made using Scopus-index journals for the past 20 years (1999 - 2018). The selection was independently done by two researchers, selecting a total of 272 published papers related to cover crops in the vineyard. Each article was categorised according to its theme and metadata were created, considering all relevant information from an agro-ecological point of view.The use of cover crops has a positive effect on the vineyard by increasing soil organic carbon (SOC), improving water infiltration and aggregate stability, and reducing erosion and greenhouse gases emission to the atmosphere. Furthermore, there is an increase in biodiversity, both in soil and the vineyard. Finally, cover crops do not constitute as a rule a major competition for nutrients to the vines except for nitrogen when grass covers are used. Contrarily, legume cover crops generally increase N in the soil, although its availability for plants is not immediate.This review constitutes an objective tool to help growers when considering the use of cover crops in vineyards that, based in a systematic review, provides relevant information depending on the characteristics of the growing condition of the vineyard.