Organic recycled mulches in sustainable viticulture: assessment of spontaneous plants communities and weed coverage

Resumen

Organic recycled mulching has become an interesting strategy for developing more efficient and sustainable viticulture management. This work aimed to analyse the effect of three different organic mulches [straw (S), grape pruning debris (GPD) and spent mushroom compost (SMC)] and two traditional soil management techniques [herbicide and inter-row tillage] on weed control and the spontaneous plant communities’ presence in the vine-line. SMC and herbicide were the treatments with the highest and the lowest weed cover percentage respectively. Inter-row tillage had a delayed weed emergence at the beginning of the vine vegetative cycle but finally, it reached maximum values nearby SMC. GPD and S had similar effects on weed emergence, reaching up to 23% and 31% of the maximum coverage values respectively. An amount of 28 herbaceous species were identified, some of them very isolated and occasional. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed specific species-treatment associations, especially for inter-row tillage and SMC treatments. The different soil management techniques had a clear effect on weed coverage and plant species communities. This study provides interesting information about how organic recycled mulching influences spontaneous plant biodiversity and weed coverage control.