Development of a Geographical Decision Support System for driving soil management in Piceno vineyards

Piceno is a viticultural region located in central Italy and suitable for producing high-quality wines, marked by the DOs Offida and Rosso Piceno. Steep slopes and heavy soils characterize the studied region, making it vulnerable to intense soil erosion. In order to limit soil erosion in vineyards, specific soil management practices are required, including the use of cover crops. Nevertheless, cover crops involve extensive water use at vineyard level, competing with grapevine for hydric and mineral resources. Due to the limited water availability during summer, the competition between vine and cover crops can increase the vine water stress and consequently reduce grape yield and quality. These negative conditions can be enhanced by the increased drought frequency, currently affecting the Mediterranean area. Thus, innovative soil management systems able to limit both soil erosion and drought risks are crucial for a sustainable viticulture in the Piceno region.

The aim of this study is to develop a Geographical Decision Support System (GDSS) for assisting Piceno winegrowers in soil management, able to i) support site-specific selection of the most appropriate cover crop models, and to ii) provide directions for the dynamic management of the adopted cover crops, based on seasonal meteorological trend.

The GDSS was developed based on data collected from 2019 to 2021 in six vineyards, representative of different environmental conditions. The two main grapevine varieties grown in the region were considered, i.e. Montepulciano e Pecorino. Five soil management systems based on cover crops were tested, including one spontaneous and four artificial grassing. The latter was realized using three different single species and one mix. Cover crop biomass production and composition were assessed, as well as vine water status, vigor, yield and grape quality.

GDSS inputs include vineyard geographical information, i.e. altitude, slope, aspect, soil texture, and daily meteorological data. Daily soil water content (SWC) is modelled through a mass soil water balance, and SWC dynamic is predicted based on meteorological forecast. GDSS was parametrized to optimize the competition between vines and cover crops, defining thresholds for different varieties and phenological stages. GDSS is currently under validation in 4 different vineyards, and the same parameters analyzed for the calibration stage have been measured since 2024. Additionally, vineyard’s status is monitored using images from Sentinel-2 satellite.

Results of the study highlighted a strict relation between cover crop biomass and grapevine water status, yield and quality parameters, independently from type or composition of the cover crop. On this basis, the competition between vine and cover crop was modelled in GDSS. The use of low-biomass cover crops under water limiting conditions allowed to increase yield and titratable acidity of grapes. Furthermore, interrupting cover crops through soil tillage when severe water stress was predicted allowed to maximize grape production.

The developed GDSS represents an innovative tool for driving sustainable soil management in the challenging viticultural environment of Piceno, concurrently limiting soil erosion and drought risks.