Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
10. Cover crops may consist of cereals, grass-legume mixtures, or mixtures of
sown species and volunteer weeds. Cover crops create a favorable habitat
for earthworms, contribute to SOM, and improve soil structure. When
Brassica
species are included they can suppress parasitic nematodes.
11. Grapevines suffer from pests such as phylloxera and nematodes that live
for part or all of their life cycle in the soil. The best long-term control
for these pests is to plant
V. vinifera
varieties grafted onto hybrids of
resistant American rootstocks (
V. riparia, V. rupestris, V. champanii,
and
V. berlandieri
). Grafted vines are available that give greater tolerance of
dry conditions, salinity, and lime and also provide better vine balance on
both high- and low-potential sites.
12. Substantial volumes of liquid and solid waste are produced from a
winery. Separation of the organic solids (about 1%) from water (99%)
in the waste stream and treatment of the water enables it to be reused
for irrigation. Solids, including marc, can be composted and applied
in the vineyard. Treatment of the waste stream involves lowering its
BOD
. If the wastewater is applied to land, the
TDS
and
SAR
need to be
monitored. Controlled leaching should be used to prevent a buildup of
salts in the soil and gypsum applied to prevent the soil from becoming
sodic.
