Composting in viticulture: effects on microbial activity and soil fertility

The soil carbon improves the physical and chemical properties of soil and it widely accepted that the carbon content in the soil is an important factor in the overall health of the soil and crops. In Italy and especially in Veneto region the loss of soil organic matter is a major problem for all sectors of agriculture and certainly also for the wine business. In order to restore soil organic matter has been proposed in this work a model of sustainable management for the re-use of plants and animals biomass (cattle manure, vine branches and grape marc) derived from agricultural practices. In particular, the research has focused on the study of the effects caused by the distribution of composted soil on the major aspects of production and quality of two vineyards, both located in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. zone. The characterization of composted soil improver has been obtained by the study of the evolution of some microbial groups active in fermentation processes and monitoring the changes in temperature, moisture, pH, carbon content, nitrogen, sulfur and heavy metals. The introduction of some innovative indices such as the capacity of the biodegradable organic substance evaluated by the degradation of cotton and silk wires inserted in the soil has allowed the diagnosis of the nutritional status of vine. The variables studied were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the statistical software "STATISTICA 12" identifying in some cases large and significant differences (p