Implication of soil management on biodiversity: a case study from Italian vineyard

Soil biodiversity can be influenced by climate, soil erosion, compaction and management of tillage. As the intensity of the disturbance has an impact on soil communities, biodiversity have mostly been observed in annual crops or grassland than in perennial crops, such as vineyard. In the "Alto Monferrato" historical region of Piedmont (N-W Italy) an experimental vineyard is available to test the effects of different inter-row soil cultivation techniques on biodiversity. The slope vineyard is composed of three 1221 m2 plots managed with conventional tillage, reduced tillage and controlled grass cover, respectively. They have been monitored since 2000 for climate, soil characteristics, erosion and resistance to compaction. In the near future, sensors connected to an automation system will be installed to allow continuous monitoring of soil moisture and temperature parameters, which can affect the physical and chemical reactions of the soil and the development of microbial biomass.