Soil erosion in sloping vineyards assessed by using botanical indicators and sediment collectors in the Ruwer-Mosel valley
Résumé
Steep slopes, erodible soils, rill and ephemeral gullies, compaction due to wheel traffic and human
trampling are common features in vineyards around the world and result in high soil erosion rates.
However, little is known about seasonal and spatial variations of soil erosion rates due to factors such as
the impact of the vine plantation, harvest, and tillage on the soil redistribution over the long-term
temporal scale. The goal of this study is to assess long-term soil erosion rates and the impact of
management on sediment and runoff yield by means of Gerlach troughs and a topographical approach
based on botanic benchmarks in two paired vineyards with different ages (3 and 35 years) located on the
hillslope of the Ruwer-Mosel Valley (Germany). We studied: i) soil profiles and properties at different
hillslope locations and ii) soil redistribution and erosion by means of topsoil level maps applying botanic
benchmarks using the Stock Unearthing Method (SUM), RUSLE (Revised Unviersal Soil Loss Equation) and
Gerlach troughs. The SUM showed that the old vineyard’s erosion rates ranged from 3.3 to 3.8
Mg ha1 yr1, which was similar to the Gerlach trough measurements, and we demonstrated that the soil
erosion rates depended on rainfall characteristics and human disturbances due to tillage, harvest
trampling, and compaction by heavy machinery. Data from the SUM in the young vineyard showed 62.5
Mg ha1 yr1 of soil loss, which is a consequence of severe soil disturbance during the planting of the new
vineyard. Finally, to prove the reliability data, RUSLE showed higher soil loss in the young vineyards
(19.46 Mg ha1 yr1) than in the old ones (11.28 Mg ha-1 yr-1).