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The Impact of the Age of Vines on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity in Vineyards in Eastern Spain
by
Vincenzo Alagna 1,*
,
Simone Di Prima 2,
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino 3,4,
Massimo Iovino 1,
Mario Pirastru 2,
Saskia D. Keesstra 5,6,
Agata Novara 1 and
Artemio Cerdà 7
Vincenzo Alagna 1,*,
Simone Di Prima 2,
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino 3,4,
Massimo Iovino 1,
Mario Pirastru 2,
Saskia D. Keesstra 5,6,
Agata Novara 1 and
Artemio Cerdà 7
1
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
2
Agricultural Department, University of Sassari, Viale Italia, 39, 07100 Sassari, Italy
3
Department of Geography, Instituto de Geomorfología y Suelos, Málaga University, Campus of Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain
4
Department of Physical Geography, Trier University, D-54286 Trier, Germany
5
Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
6
Civil, Surveying and Environmental Engineering, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, Australia
7
Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, Valencia University, Blasco Ibàñez, 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2018, 10(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10010014
Received: 2 November 2017 / Revised: 15 December 2017 / Accepted: 21 December 2017 / Published: 25 December 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Water Conservation: Dynamics and Impact)
Soil infiltration processes manage runoff generation, which in turn affects soil erosion. There is limited information on infiltration rates. In this study, the impact of vine age on soil bulk density (BD) and hydraulic conductivity (Ks) was assessed on a loam soil tilled by chisel plough. Soil sampling was conducted in the inter row area of six vineyards, which differed by the age from planting: 0 (Age 0; just planted), 1, 3, 6, 13, and 25 years (Age 1, Age 3, Age 6, Age 13, and Age 25, respectively). The One Ponding Depth (OPD) approach was applied to ring infiltration data to estimate soil Ks with an α* parameter equal to 0.012 mm−1. Soil bulk density for Age 0 was about 1.5 times greater than for Age 25, i.e., the long-term managed vineyards. Saturated hydraulic conductivity at Age 0 was 86% less than at Age 25. The planting works were considered a major factor for soil compaction and the reduction of hydraulic conductivity. Compared to the long-term managed vineyards, soil compaction was a very short-term effect given that BD was restored in one year due to ploughing. Reestablishment of Ks to the long-term value required more time.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Alagna, V.; Di Prima, S.; Rodrigo-Comino, J.; Iovino, M.; Pirastru, M.; Keesstra, S.D.; Novara, A.; Cerdà, A. The Impact of the Age of Vines on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity in Vineyards in Eastern Spain. Water 2018, 10, 14.
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