Floor Management Systems to Reduce Vineyard Inputs and Improve grape quality FINAL REPORT Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation Project Number: CSU01/01 Principal Investigator: Dr Ron Hutton Research Organisation: National Wine & Grape Industry Centre (NSW Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga) Date: July 2006 ISBN 0 7247 1750 4 Floor Management Systems to Reduce Vineyard Inputs and Improve grape quality Authors Simon Clarke NSW Department of Primary Industries, Private Mail Bag, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 Neil Coombes NSW Department of Primary Industries, Private Mail Bag, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 Joanne Holloway NSW Department of Primary Industries, Private Mail Bag, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 Ron Hutton National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Locked Bag 588, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678 Deirdre Lemerle NSW Department of Primary Industries, Private Mail Bag, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 Andrew Loch National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Locked Bag 588, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678 Michel Meunier National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Locked Bag 588, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678 Loothfar Rahman National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Locked Bag 588, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678 Emily Rouse National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Locked Bag 588, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678 Rhonda Smith National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Locked Bag 588, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678 Mark Stevens NSW Department of Primary Industries, Private Mail Bag, Yanco NSW 2703 Dejan Tesic National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Locked Bag 588, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678 Melanie Weckert National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Locked Bag 588, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678 July 2006 1 Disclaimer This document has been prepared by the author for the National Wine & Grape Industry Centre (NSW Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University), for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales, in good faith on the basis of available information. While the information contained in the document has been prepared with all due care, the users of the document must obtain their own advice and conduct their own investigations and assessments of any proposals they are considering, in the light of their own individual circumstances. The document is made available on the understanding that the State of New South Wales, the author and the publisher, their respective servants and agents accept no responsibility for any person, acting on, or relying on, or upon any opinion, advice, representation, statement or information whether expressed or implied in the document, and disclaim all liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred or arising by reason of any person using or relying on the information contained in the document or by reason of any error, omission, defect or mis- statement (whether such error, omission or mis-statement is caused by or arises from negligence, lack of care or otherwise). Whilst the information is considered true and consistent at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information. The information may change without notice and the State of New South Wales, the author and the publisher and their respective servants and agents are not in any way liable for the accuracy of information contained in this document. 2 Acknowledgements This study was supported by Australia’s grape growers and winemakers through their investment body, the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, with matching funds from the Australian Government. Andrew Smith, Leo Quirk, Robert Lamont and Sylvie Sicard are thanked for their valuable technical assistance in the field and laboratory. We are grateful to the CSU Winery managers Andrew Drumm and Greg Gallagher and Mannus Wine Estates former manager Mark Verheyden for allowing access to their vineyards. Many thanks to Ms Janet Wild of New South Wales Department of Natural Resources for providing her soil profile report. Mark Conyers (NSW DPI) contributed valuable advice regarding soil chemical aspects of the project. Research on beneficial insect diversity was supported by a Charles Sturt University Faculty of Science and Agriculture Seed Grant. Eric Koetz and Andrew Smith are thanked for providing technical assistance on the plant species diversity studies. John Blackman is thanked for his contribution to the wine sensory appraisal, as well as Mr Grant Johnson from the Environmental and Analytical Laboratories for his support in Nitrogen analysis. 3 4 Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 11 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 15 1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 15 1.2 Defining sustainable agriculture / viticulture production systems........................... 16 1.3 Soil and sustainable viticulture ................................................................................ 17 1.3.1 Soil health......................................................................................................... 17 1.3.2 Soil biological resilience .................................................................................. 18 1.3.3 Indicators of soil health and resilience............................................................. 19 1.4 The soil biological environment............................................................................... 20 1.4.1 Organic matter.................................................................................................. 20 1.4.2 Microbial biomass............................................................................................ 20 1.4.3 Soil biodiversity............................................................................................... 21 1.4.4 The microbial buffer and pathogen suppression .............................................. 23 1.4.5 Beneficial organisms........................................................................................ 24 1.4.6 Cover cropping and the soil ............................................................................. 24 1.5 Insect biodiversity and biological control ................................................................ 25 1.6 Defining a sustainable vineyard ............................................................................... 25 1.7 Towards optimising vineyard biodiversity............................................................... 27 1.8 Diversity Indices...................................................................................................... 34 1.9 Preliminary and Previous Research.......................................................................... 35 1.10 Proposed R & D Program......................................................................................... 39 1.11 Objectives................................................................................................................. 39 1.12 References ................................................................................................................ 41 2. General Materials and Methods (Site description, treatments, trial design, management operations and measurements) ......................................................................................... 59 2.1 Vineyard sites........................................................................................................... 59 2.2 Floor management treatments .................................................................................. 61 2.3 Herbicide applications.............................................................................................. 62 2.4 Soil water measurements.......................................................................................... 63 2.5 Soil Analyses............................................................................................................ 64 2.6 Vine performance measurements............................................................................. 64 2.7 Soil Microbial Analyses........................................................................................... 65 2.8 Arthropod Analyses.................................................................................................. 65 2.9 Botanical Analyses................................................................................................... 66 2.10 Statistical Analyses .................................................................................................. 66 3. Vineyard floor management practices affect grapevine vegetative growth, yield and fruit composition ...................................................................................................................... 67 3.1 Abstract .................................................................................................................... 67 3.2 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 67 3.3 Materials