Approccio integrato per la valutazione della sostenibilità ambientale della viticoltura
Author(s)
Brunori, Elena
Date Issued
November 25, 2013
Type
Doctoral Thesis
Abstract
Today’s environmental emergences like the fast cropland consumption, the climate changes, the depletion of natural resources, i.e. the simplification of biodiversity, the landscape degradation, the loss of soil functionality, suggest the opportunity to develop strategies for a sustainable development of agriculture.
Viticulture represents a strategic sector in many European rural economies and one of the most connotative crop of the Mediterranean environment whose development should combine the technological innovation with the environmental sustainability. Owing to the systemic nature of sustainability, integrated approaches based on the control of the different aspects of the wine-grape supply chain are required to match the objective. The overall objective of the research is the evaluation of the environmental sustainability of different viticulture models representative of the physiographic variability of the viticultural environments and of the management techniques. Through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach the follow specific objectives were pursued: i) evaluation of the impact of vineyards on the landscape structure and functionality, ii) measure of the biodiversity in the grapevine growing territories, iii) measure of the soil functionality in the vineyard, and iiii) quantification of the contribution of vineyard agro-ecosystem at the carbon storage. To the aim three model areas highly vocated to grapevine production (Vitis vinifera l.) have been selected for different vineyard surfaces (<20% UAA; 20-40% UAA; >40% UAA), physiographic characters (plane, hills), climate, anthropogenic pressure (areas of high naturality, rural and periu-urban). The study has been carried out following a multiple-scale approach, from the large scale (territory) to the detail scale of the vineyard. Some parameters have been measured under different management conditions, i.e. in conventional versus organic vineyards. With the methodology of the landscape ecology a core set of landscape metric indexes (MI) have been calculated in GIS environment, and the structure and functionality of the landscape as well as the biodiversity, i.e. diversity and richness in ecosystems, measured. The measure of proper indexes for soil functionality characterization (TOC, Cmin, Cbas, qCO2, qM) have been carried out for soil samples of the vineyards. Finally, the carbon sink function in the vineyard agro- ecosystems has been evaluated through the methodology of Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) and the net ecosystem Carbon balance has been estimated. The results prove that vineyards have a crucial role in maintaining a sustainable landscape structure and functions, by assuring a high diversity of semi-natural habitats. Viticulture, better than other land use classes, may guarantee the ecomosaic complexity and the balance among ecosystems, that is particularly damaged in sensible areas like the coastal and peri-urban ones. Viticulture, although differently depending on the environment and the management techniques, influences soil Carbon storage ability as well as soil respiration. The measure of the carbon sink function in the grapevine proves that an high contribution can be recognized to the root system and that it is influenced by the environment or the management practice (conventional vs organic viticulture). The estimation of the Carbon balance in the vineyard agro-ecosystems proves that this land use may contribute significantly to CO2 depletion in the atmosphere; in the peri-urban areas, rich in agriculture, they could act similarly to urban forest. Taken together the results prove that viticulture is a strategic agro-ecosystem for maintaining the environmental quality and providing ecosystem services that must be promoted in the future sustainable development of the wine-grape supply chains.
Viticulture represents a strategic sector in many European rural economies and one of the most connotative crop of the Mediterranean environment whose development should combine the technological innovation with the environmental sustainability. Owing to the systemic nature of sustainability, integrated approaches based on the control of the different aspects of the wine-grape supply chain are required to match the objective. The overall objective of the research is the evaluation of the environmental sustainability of different viticulture models representative of the physiographic variability of the viticultural environments and of the management techniques. Through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach the follow specific objectives were pursued: i) evaluation of the impact of vineyards on the landscape structure and functionality, ii) measure of the biodiversity in the grapevine growing territories, iii) measure of the soil functionality in the vineyard, and iiii) quantification of the contribution of vineyard agro-ecosystem at the carbon storage. To the aim three model areas highly vocated to grapevine production (Vitis vinifera l.) have been selected for different vineyard surfaces (<20% UAA; 20-40% UAA; >40% UAA), physiographic characters (plane, hills), climate, anthropogenic pressure (areas of high naturality, rural and periu-urban). The study has been carried out following a multiple-scale approach, from the large scale (territory) to the detail scale of the vineyard. Some parameters have been measured under different management conditions, i.e. in conventional versus organic vineyards. With the methodology of the landscape ecology a core set of landscape metric indexes (MI) have been calculated in GIS environment, and the structure and functionality of the landscape as well as the biodiversity, i.e. diversity and richness in ecosystems, measured. The measure of proper indexes for soil functionality characterization (TOC, Cmin, Cbas, qCO2, qM) have been carried out for soil samples of the vineyards. Finally, the carbon sink function in the vineyard agro- ecosystems has been evaluated through the methodology of Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) and the net ecosystem Carbon balance has been estimated. The results prove that vineyards have a crucial role in maintaining a sustainable landscape structure and functions, by assuring a high diversity of semi-natural habitats. Viticulture, better than other land use classes, may guarantee the ecomosaic complexity and the balance among ecosystems, that is particularly damaged in sensible areas like the coastal and peri-urban ones. Viticulture, although differently depending on the environment and the management techniques, influences soil Carbon storage ability as well as soil respiration. The measure of the carbon sink function in the grapevine proves that an high contribution can be recognized to the root system and that it is influenced by the environment or the management practice (conventional vs organic viticulture). The estimation of the Carbon balance in the vineyard agro-ecosystems proves that this land use may contribute significantly to CO2 depletion in the atmosphere; in the peri-urban areas, rich in agriculture, they could act similarly to urban forest. Taken together the results prove that viticulture is a strategic agro-ecosystem for maintaining the environmental quality and providing ecosystem services that must be promoted in the future sustainable development of the wine-grape supply chains.
Additional information
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