Effects of vineyard floor cover crops on grapevine vigor, yield, and fruit quality, and the development of the vine mealybug under a Mediterranean climate

• Published in: Agriculture, ecosystems & environment Vol. 237; pp. 203 - 212
• Main Authors: Muscas, Enrico, Cocco, Arturo, Mercenaro, Luca, Cabras, Matteo, Lentini, Andrea, Porqueddu, Claudio, Nieddu, Giovanni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 16-01-2017; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Agricultural practices; Anthocyanins; Clusters; Cover crops; Crop yield; Crops; Fecundity; Fertility; Grape quality; Grapevines; Grasses; Influence; Mealybug development; Mealybug fecundity; Nutrient availability; Nutrient content; Planococcus ficus; Plants (botany); Polyphenols; Soil mixtures; Soils; Studies; Sugar; Tillage; Vigor; Vitis vinifera; Weight reduction; Wineries & vineyards; Italy; Mealybug development; Grape quality; Cover crops; Vitis vinifera; Planococcus ficus; Mealybug fecundity
• ISSN: 0167-8809; 1873-2305
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2016.12.035

•Sown and natural cover crops reduced crop yield.•Grasses promoted higher content of sugars and phenols in berries.•Grass and natural cover crops reduced the development and reproduction of P. ficus.
The influence of complete cover cropping (inter- and intra-row) on grapevine growth, yield and must quality was evaluated in a three-year field trial in a commercial vineyard in northwestern Sardinia (Italy). Effects on developmental and reproductive parameters of the vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), were also investigated. The cover crop treatments were: natural covering, legume mixture, grass mixture, and conventional soil tillage, which was included as the reference treatment. Relative to soil tillage, cover crops reduced grape production by modifying yield components in different ways: legume mixture reduced the cluster weight, whereas grass mixture led to a lower number of clusters per vine coupled with a lower cluster weight. Cover crops also altered the must qualities relative to soil tillage. Grass mixture increased the content of sugar, anthocyanins and polyphenols, whereas legume mixture and natural covering reduced total polyphenols and anthocyanin content, respectively. All the P. ficus biological parameters examined were affected by the floor management practices. Mealybugs reared on grapevines subjected to soil tillage and legume covering showed a faster development time and higher survival, fecundity and fertility than those developed on natural covering and grass plots. The vine mealybug showed a higher performance on grapevines with a higher nitrogen content and vigor. Effects of cover crop treatments appear to be mediated through nutrient availability and content in grape plants. Consequently, utilizing competitive cover crops, while reducing yields, would improve must quality and reduce pest development.