Influence of soil management on vegetative growth, yield, and wine quality parameters in an organic “Pedro Ximénez” vineyard: field and UAV data

The use of cover crops in vineyards is expected to increase due to the strong encouragement by European agricultural policy and their contribution to reducing soil erosion. This paper presents the results obtained over three years in a vineyard of the “Pedro Ximénez” variety organically grown in southern Spain. The influence on production, vigor, and grape quality of a seeded cover crop versus tillage was compared using field data and imagery acquired by an uncrewed aerial vehicle. The vines under tillage showed greater vegetative development and yield than those with cover crops between rows. The grapes from the vines under the cover crop treatment ripened earlier and presented higher values of total soluble solids, characteristics that can be useful in the protected designation of origin where the study field is placed. However, the strong yield reduction caused by the cover crop treatment encourages future research to explore other cover crop species that could contribute to improving soil properties without compromising the profitability of the vineyard. This is the first time that the influence of cover cropping on the agronomic and oenological parameters of organically grown white vineyard varieties such as “Pedro Ximénez” has been assessed using field and UAV data.