Cover crops and carbon stocks: how under-vine management influences soc inputs and turnover in two vineyards
Marks et al., 2022
The researchers found that cover crop-managed soil under-vine sequesters up to 23% more soil organic carbon (SOC) as the traditional, herbicide practice over a five-year period of growth. Microbial activity increased by more than double in cover crop soils, owing to an increase in DOC and that there is evidence for more resistant C in cover crop soils. These results suggest that cover crop management under-vine is a viable solution to increase SOC stocks within vineyard systems. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that a shift from bare earth to cover crops in the under-vine region has the potential to sequester carbon in vineyard soils.
