Sustainable Viticulture Using Organic Fertilisers

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Earth & Environment ︱Dr Isabella Ghiglieno Spatial monitoring of GHGs from soil was caried out using a mobile instrument for measuring GHG variation that was developed by the LIFE+ IPNOA Project. Sustainable viticulture using organic fertilisers

Collaboration between he August 2019 IPCC report the form of VRT prototypes for different researchers, vineyard owners proposes adopting farming viticulture contexts that allow the and technology developers Tpractices that work with nature, application of organic fertiliser according is helping to promote a rather than forcing productivity through to the needs of individual vines. The sustainable approach to overuse of fertilisers, as an important prototypes were tested to identify five vineyard soil management part of mitigating climate change effects. different machines, each one suitable to that is also likely to improve Machines and fertilisers have enabled be used in specific viticultural contexts.

vine and wine quality. Isabella intensive farming, in which organic material The final step is to develop prototypes MECS-WOOD is an innovative system Ghiglieno, project manager is not returned back to the soil, leading to for industry use. to quantify vine vigour from woody of Life Vitisom, presents the soil degradation and exhaustion of organic unleafed branches. This allows variable aims and results of a three- rate distribution of organic matrices matter. Now it is clear that efforts must The various studies were conducted to be carried out in real time. and-a-half-year study in Italy be made to provide agronomic methods with the cooperation of three Italian demonstrating how precision that support conservation management wineries (Castello Bonomi, Guido farming in the form of variable- practices, work with buyers and growers to Berlucchi and Conti degli Azzoni). the hospitality of micro-arthropods where it is needed has now become reduced to infertile desert every year. rate technology could enable encourage land-stewardship, and put soils The VRT prototypes were designed and micro-organisms. possible. It enables less fertiliser use, It is now crucial to promote restorative efficient, cost-effective and and their health at the centre of land use. and built by Casella Macchine Agricole. which in turn saves money. It also helps soil-building practices, such as using low-impact organic fertilisation The viticulture sector must also tackle these Greenhouse gas monitoring was We know that greenhouse gases, which the environment by enabling growers organic matter and no-till methods. of vineyards throughout Europe. issues and the comprehensive project done by University of Padua and contribute to global warming, enter the to reduce greenhouse gas emissions This will ensure that soil organic This approach could also reduce undertaken in Italy that is described here West Systems. Communication and atmosphere through natural processes, that result from the inefficient use of content and biological fertility the carbon footprint of the viticulture sector. is a step in that direction. impact assessment were supported including agricultural soil management. fertilisers. These measures could soon can be upgraded. by Consorzio Italbiotec. On the other hand, plants have a natural be part of best practice in viticulture.

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE mitigating effect via CO2 uptake by As part of the project undertaken by CARBON UPTAKE AND VINEYARD MANAGEMENT IN ITALY The work was complemented by photosynthesis. However, a significant Life Vitisom, chemical and biological GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OF The project ‘Life Vitisom’ was funded efforts to increase the engagement (and reducible) source of greenhouse gas soil parameters were monitored to raise VINEYARD ECOSYSTEMS AND SOILS by the LIFE programme, the European of≈viticulture sector operators emissions in agricultural practice is the use awareness of the physical, chemical and The study outlined here set out Union’s funding scheme for the (wineries, contractors and agricultural of fertilisers. biological soil fertility. Such studies will to upgrade the economic and environment and climate action. It sets machine producers), the public, help to improve the quality of vineyard environmental efficiency of vineyard out to promote sustainable vineyard the scientific community and public The technology available for the soils in terms of soil structure, organic organic fertilisation by using VRT management as part of the priority area authorities in order to promote application of organic matter in viticulture matter content and biodiversity and to both reduce the use of chemical of environment and resource efficiency, awareness of this sustainable approach is inefficient, leading to a significant waste help to prevent erosion, compaction fertilisers and reduce the amount and in support of green and circular to vineyard soil management and of resources. Sustainable solutions for and organic matter decline. of organic matter used in organic economies and soil health. soil protection. organic fertiliser vineyards. The aim application will was to show that The development, testing and scale-up REDUCING THE ENVIRONMENTAL increase both Precision farming using hi-tech organic fertilisation is of a cost-effective technology for vineyard IMPACT OF FERTILISERS USING soil and vine instruments to apply fertiliser only more effective if VRT organic fertilisation was a key part of this PRECISION FARMING quality. Using is used to match endeavour. The University of Milan was Progress in our understanding of soils newly developed where it is needed has now become the actual needs the coordinator for the project and was is showing how organic fertilisers, advanced of vines. involved in the variable-rate technology applied with care, can regenerate agricultural possible. Organic fertilisation is more (VRT) prototype design and validation, soil organic matter and reduce the machinery that VRT has been as well as evaluation of soil chemical need for chemical fertilisers. Not only preserves efficient if variable-rate technology is used in vineyards and biological conditions, vine, grape does organic matter provide stable and protects used to match the actual needs of vines. for chemical and wine characteristics and social and nitrogen, it also has positive effects cultivated land is an applications but not economic effects. on soil structure, water retention and added bonus. previously for organic fertilisation of Innovative technologies applied to the the availability of nutrients. It can Modern agriculture has used up soil vineyards. Other studies have found wine sector can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The project included technical enhance the biological properties of Precision farming using hi-tech 100 times faster than it is replenished mineral fertilisers to have greenhouse development of precision machinery in soil by creating better conditions for instruments to apply fertiliser only and areas of fertile land are being gas (N2O) emissions about ten times

www.researchoutreach.org www.researchoutreach.org Behind the Research Dr Isabella Ghiglieno

E: [email protected] T: +393333660658 W: www.lifevitisom.com

Research Objectives References

Isabella Ghiglieno studies viticultural soil management, Life Vitisom. Available at: https://www.lifevitisom.com/ specifically, how to improve organic fertilisation. [accessed August 2019]

Valenti L. et al. Project, viticulture innovation technology and Net CO2 exchange is monitored using GHG emission monitoring. BIO Web of Conferences 13, An example of vigour maps obtained the Eddy Covariance method, while GHG Detail 02008 (2019). DOI: 10.1051/bioconf/20191302008 during the project development. emissions at soil level are analysed. Università degli Studi di Milano – DiSAA Change and Land: An IPCC special report on climate Via Celoria 2 change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land higher than those of organic ones, In each vineyard, greenhouse gas monitoring of GHG emissions 20133 Milano management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in indicating that organic applications fluxes were evaluated for three organic was carried out at soil level. Italy terrestrial ecosystems. Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch/ are preferable. fertilisers: compost, digestate and report/srccl/ [accessed August 2019] manure. Controls were not fertilised TOWARDS GOOD PRACTICE IN Bio To provide a framework for vineyard soil and either tilled or not tilled. Each of VINEYARD ORGANIC MATTER Isabella Ghiglieno studied “Viticulture and Oenology” and organic matter management that the organic fertilisers was tested by MANAGEMENT followed by a master degree in “Science of production and Personal Response could be replicated elsewhere in Europe incorporating it or not incorporating it Additional aspects of the project worth protection of plants” at University of Milan. Her experience and beyond, five prototypes adapted (till or no-till) into the soil. At one test mentioning were: the implementation in the wine sector began in 2007, including four years of to different pilot contexts in Italy were site, urea (with and without incorporation of MECS-VINE technology to evaluate a research fellowship at Agricultural and Environmental As a result of this project, do you have a personal identified. The project then set out to into the soil) was applied. vine vigour from annual wood (WI Sciences Department. Since July 2016, she has been Project recommendation for the best vineyard organic fertiliser application (compost, digestate or manure) using tillage measure net carbon fluxes (at ecosystem index); odorimetric analysis of different manager of LIFE15 ENV/IT/000392 LIFE VITISOM Project. or not? level) and greenhouse gas emissions The aim was to identify peak emissions components of applied organic At this stage we are processing three years’ worth of (at soil level). for N2O and to highlight seasonal matter; evaluation of biological soil Funding data collection, so we will be able to give recommendations variation in spatial emissions of quality; and monitoring of the quality LIFE15 ENV/IT/000392 LIFE VITISOM for best vineyard organic fertiliser application after this Spatial and temporal monitoring of greenhouse gases. The spatial emissions of wine production. Finally, life cycle process. Soil management and organic matter application greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O and CO2) data obtained from the first year of assessment (LCA) analysis, carbon Collaborators in fact need different years to determine the positive emitted directly from soil was carried out monitoring suggest that solid fraction footprint calculations and evaluation Thanks to all Project Partners repercussions on vineyard soil and vine health. At this stage to assess the effect of different organic of digestate has least impact on CO2 of the socioeconomic implications we have used the output of the first year of spatial GHG matter management methods. This was emissions while manure has the greatest. of the project were undertaken. monitoring to better calibrate the carbon footprint and done at intervals throughout a three-year LCA assessment, updating coefficient in software. We can period (2017-2018-2019) for five vineyard Continuous monitoring of net carbon The project, which started in July 2016 also confirm the conclusion of our prototypes validation so the VRT technology is now available for organic sites (including land that was flat, steep fluxes was done using Eddy Covariance and finishes in December 2019, is now fertilisation of vineyards. and terraced) in different geographical to quantify release/uptake of CO2 to/ in the last stages of data collection and areas of Italy. from the atmosphere at two Italian processing. A final conference will be held and two publications will be available: a ‘Manual of Good Practice of Vineyard Management methods like this could Organic Matter Management’ and a ‘Green Paper on European Strategy of increase organic matter in vineyard soils Vineyard Soil and Ecosystem Protection’. and increase soil biodiversity. Management methods like this could This monitoring of soil emissions was vineyard sites from October 2017 to increase organic matter in vineyard done using a mobile instrument for October 2019. Results suggested soils and increase soil biodiversity measuring the variation of greenhouse that soil cultivation and canopy (by about 5%). They could also reduce gases that was developed by the LIFE+ management can modify CO2 uptake emissions from vineyard soils (by about IPNOA Project. The instrument is housed and emissions. However, the variability 10% compared to chemical fertilisers), on a light-tracked vehicle that can be between the two sites monitored can reduce the odour caused by distribution driven remotely. It can measure emissions also be attributed to different climatic of organic fertilisers (by about 10%), directly in the field and real-time data conditions and vineyard characteristics. and reduce costs related to organic can then be viewed on a smart phone. In parallel at the same sites continuous matter distribution (by at least 20%).