Cover Cropping in Vineyards
(book excerpts)A cover crop is a noneconomic crop that is grown in the vineyard to prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds, maintain soil structure, provide easier access during wet weather, and contribute to soil fertility through organic matter. Cover crops may also contribute to insect and mite pest control, depending on the pests present and the conditions. An ideal vineyard floor should be easy to maintain, aid the growth of the grapevines and fruit, maintain the soil structure of the vineyard, reduce erosion potential, and not compete with the vines for water or nutrients, nor harbor insects or other pests. In practice, no single vineyard-floor management system accomplishes all of these goals, but rather a balance of the above factors should be achieved while also considering the soil type, slope, age of vines, irrigation, and harvesting methods. Cover crops are increasingly being recognized as an important component of “sustainable” production in most wine producing regions of the world.
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Topics Within This Chapter:
- Benefits and Drawbacks
- Benefits of Cover Crops
- Erosion Control
- Organic Matter and Soil Structure
- Nitrogen Fixation
- Recycling or Scavenging Unused Nutrients
- Regulate Vine Growth
- Pest Control
- Weed Suppression
- Soil Microbial Activity
- Soil Water Management
- Soil Temperature
- Drawbacks of Cover Crops
- Additional Costs
- Pest Problems
- Risk of Frost
- Life Cycle of Cover Crops
- Annual Cover Crops
- Perennial Cover Crops
- Biennial Cover Crops
- Types of Cover Crops
- Legumes
- Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratio
- Cool Season and Warm Season Legumes
- Grasses
- Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratio
- Cool Season and Warm Season Grasses
- Brassicas
- Buckwheat
- Cover Crops: Monocultures or Mixtures?
- Monocultures
- Mixtures
- Tilled or No-Till Cover Cropping Management Systems
- Annually Tilled Floor Management with Annual Cover Crops
- No-Till Cover Crop Floor Management Systems
- Non-Tillage Floor Management with Annual Cover Crops
- Non-Tillage Floor Management with Perennial Cover Crops
- Tilled and No-Till Floor Management Systems
- Managing Pests with Cover Crops
- Cover Crops for Managing Insects
- Managing Cover Crops to Encourage Beneficial Insects
- Cover Crops for Managing Diseases
- Cover Crops for Managing Weeds
- Managing Cover Crops to Help Suppress Weeds
- Cover Crop Residues
- Allelopathic Compounds for Controlling Weeds
- Criteria for Selecting Cover Crop Species
- Relative Vigor of the Vineayrd
- Frost Hazard
- Nitrogen Contribution
- Soil Erosion Considerations
- Soil Moisture Availability
- Improve Soil Structure
- Weed Management Objectives
- Cost of Seed and Planting
- Cover Crops for Specific Purposes
- Establishing and Managing Cover Crops
- Seed Source
- Time of Planting
- Seed Bed Preparation
- Seeding
- Broadcast Seeder
- Seed Drills
- No-Till Drilling
- Fertilization
- Suppression or Control of Cover Crops
- Winter-Killing Cover Crops
- Tillage
- Tillage Implements
- Mowing
- Herbicide Control
- Selected References