Assessing the Short-Term Effects of No-Till on Crop Yield, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Soil C and N Pools in a Cover-Cropped, Biodynamic Mediterranean Vineyard

Abstract

Background and Aims. No-till is considered a core practice of conservation and climate-smart agriculture. Nevertheless, recent evidence suggests that the benefits of this practice for climate change mitigation might be overestimated, particularly in the short term. Methods and Results. In a three-year field experiment, we investigated the environmental and agronomic performance of this practice by looking at changes in soil physical properties, C and N pools, as well as vine yield and grape quality. No-till increased stratification in the distribution of active soil C (POXC), further accentuating the already existing difference between top and subsoil. No-till also slightly reduced the daily efflux of CO2 from the soil during the rainy season, showing that these plots were less prone to lose C than tilled plots. Nonetheless, no-till did not increase total soil C stocks. This, together with the lack of differences in cumulative N2O emissions, resulted in similar global warming potential in till and no-till plots. Vine yield and grape quality remained unchanged in the no-till compared to the tilled plots. Conclusions. Even though no-till did not result in short-term climate change mitigation, results of this study suggest changes in the ecological processes leading to C accumulation and mineralization and that may result in future C sequestration. There were no deleterious effects of no-till on grape yield and quality. Significance of the Study. This study shows that reducing tillage intensity in vineyards is a feasible strategy from an agronomic standpoint.