2013/07/08 by Michela Centinari, Ilaria Filippetti, Taryn Bauerle +5 · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Horticultural and Viticultural Research #Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics #Plant responses to elevated CO2
paper · doi:10.5344/ajev.2013.13025
crossref issued 2013/07/08 · crossref published 2013/07/08 · crossref published-online 2013/07/08 · openalex publication_date 2013/07/08 · crossref created 2013/07/09 · crossref published-print 2013/12/01 · crossref deposited 2024/01/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
The aim of our study was to compare soil evaporation (E<sub>s</sub>) versus cover crop (<i>Festuca arundinacea</i> var. barfelix) evapotranspiration (ET<sub>cc</sub>) within a vineyard ecosystem and to investigate the effect of mowing in reducing cover crop evapotranspiration, and, hence, its below-ground competitiveness. The study was carried out in a 2-year-old Sangiovese (<i>Vitis vinifera</i> L.) vineyard, grafted to SO4, in Bologna, Italy. Mini-lysimeters and a portable gas-exchange chamber system were used to investigate cover crop evapotranspiration in relation to mowing and bare soil management practices. Our results show that, immediately after mowing, ET<sub>cc</sub> markedly decreased, with the percentage of reduction ranging from 35 to 49%, depending on the amount of clipped biomass. The extent of the ET<sub>cc</sub> reduction decreased over time as the cover crop regrew. Over the 28-day period following the mowing, soil evaporation was 35 and 48% lower than mowed and unmowed cover crop evapotranspiration, respectively. This study shows that mowing could be used as a water management strategy to decrease vine cover crop competition over a short time period.