Optimization of ecosystem services in viticulture against the backdrop of climate change (LIFE VinEcoS)

Global warming is leading to increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as prolonged periods of drought and heavy rainfall. This increases the risk of erosion, particularly in steep-slope vineyards, and leads to increasing water stress for the vines. The LIFE VinEcoS project therefore aims to develop innovative, climate-adapted viticulture practices that contribute to increasing biodiversity and thus improve ecosystem services in vineyards. The focus is on the following questions:

1.  Which cultivation methods lead to greater biodiversity in vineyards?

2.  What impact does this have on ecosystem services in the vineyard?

3.  How can these services be optimized in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner?

The Saale-Unstrut quality wine-growing region in southern Saxony-Anhalt, covering 770 hectares, is a cultural landscape characterized by vineyards, steep terraces, and dry stone walls. With approximately 500 mm of annual precipitation, the region is one of the driest in Germany. The investigations planned in the project will be implemented on a model basis on three demonstration areas of the Kloster Pforta state winery.

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Project priorities

• Climate change adaptation in viticulture: Development of innovative cultivation methods to adapt to extreme weather events and reduce erosion and water stress on steep slopes.
• Increasing biodiversity: Researching management practices that promote biodiversity in vineyards in order to strengthen their resilience.
• Increasing ecosystem services: Investigating the effects of increased biodiversity on the ecosystem services of vineyards, such as soil fertility and water regulation

Project region

Saale-Unstrut (Saxony-Anhalt)

Further project details

• Work package 1: Testing new production processes and cultivation techniques in viticulture

  Production methods and cultivation techniques adapted to expected climate change are to be developed on selected areas of the state winery. To this end, classic minimal pruning on trellises (natural growth training) is to be carried out, for example. This form of vine training is still very rare in Germany and unique in the Saale-Unstrut region. Natural growth training allows the vine to assume its natural growth form as a liana plant, in contrast to the trellis training commonly used in Germany. Positive effects include revitalization of the vines through greater freedom and loosening of the grape structure. This is expected to greatly reduce susceptibility to disease and thus also the use of pesticides. The stronger leaf formation is also expected to increase root formation, which may increase drought resistance. Another advantage of these training systems is the extensification of work and thus cost savings.

  Responsible: State Winery Kloster Pforta

  

• Work package 2: Development of multifunctional seed mixtures from regional wild plants for erosion control and increased biodiversity in vineyards

  The objective is to develop seed mixtures that ensure better water retention and thus better erosion control and humus formation against the backdrop of expected climate change. The developing vegetation should provide nectar and pollen sources for butterflies and wild bees. The use of regional wild plant seeds ensures that the selected species are optimally adapted to the specific regional climate conditions and are suitable as food plants for native animal species (especially beneficial insects). The selection of undemanding species of nutrient-poor grassland keeps water competition with the vines to a minimum. Corresponding studies on water stress and the vitality of the vines as well as grape yield are planned. At the Pfortenser Köppelberg trial site (near Schulpforta), three sowing variants (two wild plant mixtures, one conventional ryegrass-white clover mixture) were tested in August 2016 (former open lanes) and September 2017 (former tramlines), three sowing variants (two wild plant mixtures, one conventional ryegrass-white clover mixture) were sown in a block trial with four replicates. Various parameters relating to vegetation development and the abundance of selected animal species groups (butterflies, wild bees, birds) are regularly recorded on the variants in the experimental vineyard and on a neighboring control vineyard with conventional vegetation (ryegrass-white clover sowing alternating with open rows).

  Responsible: Anhalt University of Applied Sciences

  

  

  

  

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  First results

  Vegetation development

  In 2017, sowing wild plants resulted in a 130% increase in the total number of plant species compared to the baseline year of 2016 (conventional cultivation before the start of the trial: open aisles alternating with a mixture of ryegrass and white clover) by 130%, while the total number of species decreased slightly in 2018 due to extremely dry weather conditions. In 2019, the total number of species increased by 150% compared to the initial state in 2016 (Fig. 1).

  Of the total of 72 plant species sown on the Köppelberg block system, 71% had established themselves in 2017, while the establishment rate fell to 57% in 2018 and increased slightly to 63% in 2019.

  

  Nectar and pollen supply

  To estimate nectar and pollen availability, abundance data on flowering plants (5 classes, 1-5) were recorded on the permanent plots from April to August 2018 and April, June-August 2019, with species-specific nectar and pollen values (e.g., Pritsch 2007 Bee pasture (5 classes, 0-4)). (5 classes, 1-5) was collected on the permanent plots from April to August 2018 and April, June-August 2019, multiplied by species-specific nectar and pollen values (e.g., Pritsch 2007 bee pasture (5 classes, 0-4)), divided by the number of repetitions, and thus a mean nectar and pollen index was calculated. The nectar and pollen supply for pollinators and other beneficial insects was significantly improved by sowing (see Fig. 2).

  

  In order to investigate the effect of wild plant sowing on pollinators, butterflies and wild bees were mapped using the transect method at Köppelberg and on a neighboring control vineyard from 2017 to 2019.

  Butterflies

  In 2017, 25 butterfly species were recorded at Köppelberg, followed by 30 in 2018 and 17 in 2019. Each year, more butterflies were recorded in the alleys sown with wild plants than in the control vineyard (Fig. 3, e.g., 2019 +200%). The species recorded also include many endangered species such as the purple-edged skipper (Carcharodus alceae) and the sky blue blue butterfly (Polyommatus bellargus).

  

  Wild bees

  A total of 67 bee species were identified at Köppelberg in 2017, 66 bee species in 2018, and 62 bee species in 2019. This means that 61% of the bee species caught in 2017, 29% in 2018, and 59% in 2019 used the trial block as a habitat or source of pollen/nectar. While in 2017 a similar number of bee species were detected on all three variants within the block trial, in the following two years it became apparent that the low-growing variant was used by more bee species than the tall-growing and conventional grass-clover seed variants (Fig. 4). Nevertheless, significantly more bee species were detected in the vicinity of the block trial in all three years of the study. After the number of wild bee species in the block trial fell by half from 2017 to 2018 due to the hot summer, more bee species were detected again in 2019.

  

  

  

  

  

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• Work package 3: Management of vineyard paths through sheep grazing

  Grazing vineyards with hardy breeds of sheep reduces the need for machinery on steep slopes. To prevent erosion caused by grazing, the paths on the demonstration area at the Saalhäuser vineyard were sown with a mixture of seeds from nutrient-poor grassland species in fall 2016. Certified wild plant seeds from a regional propagation company were used for this purpose. The integration of the adjacent orchard meadow into the grazing concept ensures its maintenance and at the same time enables flexible use of the sheep in the vineyard.

  The sheep are tasked with grazing the alleys and defoliating the grape zone. The positive effect of the sheep in defoliation is that they also remove leaves from the inside, whereas defoliation machines only pluck the foliage from the outside. This is expected to significantly reduce fungal infestation.

  From April 2017, various vegetation and soil parameters, as well as vine vitality and grape quality, will be regularly recorded and comparatively evaluated on grazed and ungrazed (mulched) rows in the demonstration area.

  In order to investigate the effect of grazing (in conjunction with wild plant sowing) on faunal biodiversity, butterflies and wild bees were mapped using the transect method at the Saalhäuser vineyard and on a neighboring control vineyard from 2017 to 2019.

  Responsible: Anhalt University of Applied Sciences

  

  

  

  

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  First results

  Feeding behavior of sheep

  Grazing led to a significant reduction in biomass in the alleys, the area under the vines, and the vines themselves. As a result, two fewer fungicide treatments were necessary in 2017 than on the mulched areas. The sheep’s activities were mainly divided between resting (66%) and eating (24%). The area under the vines was visited slightly more often by the sheep than the aisles between the vines. The unripe grapes were of no interest to the animals. After the grapes had ripened, some of them were eaten, but the overall damage remained minor (see Fig. 5).

  

  In 2018, the grazing behavior of the sheep was analyzed using GPS collars. It was found that grazing took place mainly at night, which was partly due to the extreme heat in the summer of 2018 (Fig. 6). It also became clear that the entire area was grazed evenly, with the sheep preferring to stay on the higher, steeper slopes, especially at night. There was no undergrazing or overgrazing of individual areas.

  

  

  

  

  

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  Butterflies

  In 2017, 22 butterfly species were recorded on the Saalhäuser vineyard, in 2018 there were 31, and in 2019 there were 29. There was hardly any difference in the number of butterfly species between the grazed transects and the mulched transects (Fig. 7). The proportion of valuable species is higher on the Saalhäuser vineyard than on the Köppelberg. In all three years, more butterflies were recorded on the wild plant sowings than on the conventionally managed control vineyard.

  

  Wild bees

  A total of 58 wild bee species were recorded in 2017, 70 wild bee species in 2018, and 71 wild bee species in 2019 on the Saalhäuser vineyard and the surrounding areas (Göttersitz, hiking car park, and vineyard paths). During the 2019 mapping, more bee species were recorded on the block trial (54 species) than in the surrounding area (39 species) for the first time. In 2017, 55% of all wild bee species used the block trial, in 2018 it was 57%, and in 2019 it was 76% (“BLOCK,” Fig. 8). Regardless of the cultivation method, more wild bee species were detected in the alleys with taller wild plants in all three years than in the alleys with shorter wild plants. After the number of bee species tripled on the control areas from 2017 to 2018, it decreased slightly again in 2019. In all three years, fewer bees were caught on the conventionally vegetated control areas than on the wild plant variants in the block trial.

  

  

  

  

  

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• Work package 4: Soil investigations and recording of erosion potential

  The aim is to create high-resolution vineyard soil maps, e.g., for soil type, depth, carbonate content, water and nutrient storage capacity, and an assessment of the erosion risk for the trial sites in the project region. For the latter issue, a risk prediction tool specific to viticulture is to be developed. In addition, accompanying investigations (measuring station network for soil-plant-climate, erosion potential) are being carried out at the two demonstration vineyards Köppelberg and Saalhäuser.

  Responsible: JENA-GEOS®-Ingenieurbüro GmbH

  First results

  In 2018/2019, total coverage in April was around 70%, but fell dramatically to below 10% by August due to the prolonged drought on all vegetation variants (Fig. 9). However, on the wild plant variants, total coverage rose significantly again to approximately 45-50% by November 2018/September 2019, while on the conventional variant, the coverage of the herbaceous layer only reached coverage values of approximately 25-35% by November 2018/September 2019. The wild plant variants were therefore more resilient and, due to their higher coverage values (especially of herbs), were able to provide better erosion control than the conventionally vegetated variant.

  

• Work package 5: Evaluation of ecosystem services in vineyards

  The effects of conventional and project-developed greening and management methods for vineyard rows are to be evaluated in terms of their impact on biodiversity and selected ecosystem services. To this end, provisioning services (e.g., grape production and quality), regulating services (e.g., pollination, pest control, water retention capacity, erosion control), and cultural services (e.g., education, tourism, aesthetics) were selected. Important indicators for this include the number of flowering pollen and nectar plants, the number of butterflies, wild bees, and hoverflies, various soil parameters, root penetration and soil erosion, as well as water stress on the vines, vine vitality, acidity and sugar content of the grapes, and harvest yield on the different variants. In a second step, the predicted climatic changes are taken into account and the added value of the measures developed in the project is evaluated by means of a cost-benefit analysis.

  Responsible: Landgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt