Physical, chemical and biological indicators of soil quality in Mediterranean vineyards under contrasting farming schemes

Andres et al., 2022

Comparison of soil quality at three vineyards managed under intensive, regenerative and minimum impact strategies using physical, chemical and biological indicators. Soil carbon stocks were 2.3 and 3.4 times greater in the regenerative and the minimal impact vineyards than in the intensive vineyard, respectively. Soil biota was particularly favoured by regenerative viticulture, with 26.2 times more protists, 3.1 times more nematodes, and 29.4 more microarthropods in the regenerative than in the intensive vineyard. The results indicate that the ecological intensification of agricultural practices is highly promising to restore degraded agricultural soils under Mediterranean conditions. The authors (including Francesc Font of the Regenerative Viticulture Association and the Regen Academy) propose cost-effective soil bioindicators sensitive to agricultural management for their possible inclusion in soil monitoring programmes.