Hydrogeological characterization of steep vineyard slopes through a combined approach for shallow slope failures susceptibility estimation

Vineyards cultivated on steep terrains are widespread worldwide and serve as both a dominant landscape feature and the primary economic activity in many regions. These vineyards may face a variety of issues, including shallow slope instabilities, which can be triggered by intense thunderstorms or prolonged periods of heavy rainfall. Shallow landslides can cause significant damage to vineyards, resulting in a loss of soil fertility and biodiversity. It is crucial to characterize the slopes where vineyards are planted to assess potential instability risks and better understand how different inter-row management practices might influence the likelihood of slope failures.

The aim of this study is to present a multidisciplinary approach for estimating the susceptibility of shallow slope instabilities in steep terrain vineyards. The method follows several key steps: i) a preliminary characterization of the slope's geological and geomorphological conditions using UAV surveys, soil trenches, and monitoring of soil water content with in-situ probes (TDR, Tensiometers); ii) the slope hydrogeological assessment throughout geophysical approaches such as the Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), iii) the assessment of grapevine root density and reinforcement in inter-rows with different soil management practices (e.g., conventional tillage versus sustainable approaches).

This approach was applied to different test sites in the Oltrepò Pavese (northern Italian Apennines), an important Italian wine regions prone to water stress and slope instabilities. The findings of this study can help identify conditions that lead to shallow failures in vineyards on steep terrains and highlight the positive impact of soil management practices, particularly in the context of climate change.

This conference abstract is part of the project NODES which has received funding from the MUR – M4C2 1.5 of PNRR funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU (Grant agreement no. ECS00000036).