Inter-Row Management and Clay Content Influence Acari and Collembola Abundances in Vineyards
Stefan Möth,
Sarhan Khalil,
Rudi Rizzoli,
Magdalena Steiner,
Astrid Forneck,
Sven Bacher,
Michaela Griesser,
Pascal Querner,
Silvia Winter
Affiliations
Stefan Möth
Institute of Plant Protection, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Sarhan Khalil
Institute of Viticulture and Pomology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Straße 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
Rudi Rizzoli
Institute of Viticulture and Pomology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Straße 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
Magdalena Steiner
Ecology & Evolution Unit, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Ch. du Musee 15, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
Astrid Forneck
Institute of Viticulture and Pomology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Straße 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
Sven Bacher
Ecology & Evolution Unit, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Ch. du Musee 15, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
Michaela Griesser
Institute of Viticulture and Pomology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Straße 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
Pascal Querner
Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Silvia Winter
Institute of Plant Protection, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Viticulture is a perennial cropping system that provides large inter-row space as a non-crop habitat for a range of different taxa. Extensive vegetation management has been shown to increase biodiversity and ecosystem service provision in vineyards. Important soil ecosystem services are decomposition, nutrient cycling, and pest regulation provided by the mesofauna (e.g., Acari and Collembola). However, studies investigating the effects of inter-row management on soil mesofauna are scarce. We studied the effect of inter-row management intensity (complete vegetation cover, alternating vegetation cover, and bare ground) and local pedoclimatic conditions on Acari and Collembola in nine Austrian vineyards. Our results showed that the clay content of the soil was the most important factor and increased the abundances of both analyzed taxa. Complete and alternating vegetation cover increased their abundance in comparison to bare ground management. Higher soil respiration slightly contributed to higher abundances of those two taxa in both years. In conclusion, besides the positive effects of the clay content in the soil, complete and alternating vegetation cover are feasible management practices for increasing soil mesofauna in vineyards.
