Cover Cropping in Vineyards
(book excerpts)A cover crop in a vineyard is any non-cash crop, like grasses, legumes, or wildflowers, that is intentionally planted between or under the vine rows. Cover crops can be annuals or perennials, and they can be planted as monocultures or in mixtures of multiple species. Cover crops are also known as green manure crops if one of their intended benefits is to provide nutrients to the vines. They can be either leguminous species, like vetches and clovers, which fix nitrogen from the air, or non-leguminous species, like rye and triticale. Cover crops have the potential to provide multiple benefits in a cropping system. Cover crops prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds, and provide easier access to the vineyard during wet weather. Cover crops can also contribute to the control of insect and mite pests, depending on the specific pests present and the prevailing conditions. Cover crops have many potential benefits, but there are also essential trade-offs and management implications to consider when deciding whether to use cover crops and which crop or mixture of crops to choose. Cover crops are increasingly being recognized as an essential component of “sustainable” production in most wine-producing regions of the world.
Click on the following topics for more information on cover cropping in vineyards.
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
- Taxonomy 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
- Forbs
- Cover Crops: Monocultures or Mixtures?
- Monocultures
- Mixtures
- 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
