As we have already seen on other occasions, there are multiple factors that influence in the development of the vineyard as they can be the location, the orientation or the vigor as well as the different types of shavings. The ground in which the vineyard settles also is going to be a key factor and its behavior will depend to a large extent on its state.
The tradition, the climate and the research marked since always the guidelines on the type of shaving to carry out. Thus, in a historical way, in the Mediterranean viticulture the growth of the spontaneous vegetation in the ground was not allowed so that it did not compete with a scarce resource in these areas as it is the water. However in the rainiest areas it was a tradition to apply a mixed management, with predominance of shaving but allowing the grass to grow under the vineyard in the periods of rain.
The appearance of the weed killers marked a new period and its use was generalized to maintain the ground without competence especially under the line of the plants and in those vineyards where the mechanization was practically impossible. In spite of this generalization, it may be stood out that in the appellation RíasBaixas was a very little used practice, used only by 5% of the vineyards.
The change of trend in the management of the ground arrived in the last years thanks to the different studies and researches carried out in this field. The worry for one more respect to the environment and the search of the sustainability they led in new strategies that pass for the use of vegetal covers in the vineyards. According to the availability of water, of the region, of the type of ground and of the intended qualitative goals, these can be total or partial and permanent and temporary.
In Bodegas Martín Códax we bet for the the use in the vineyard of vegetal covers since, among his multiple advantages, they help control the vigor of the vines and improve the structure of the ground favoring the development of the roots and preventing the compaction caused by the use of machinery. Besides, these covers allow the accessibility to the vineyard in periods of rains, they help to hold the level of organic matter of the grounds and it favors the biodiversity since shelters of microfauna are a tool in the land ecosystems.
Hay que gestionar moi ven porque e un caldo de cultivo para hongos coma o mildiu
Como todo en viticultura as distintas estratexias hai que aplicalas tendo en conta as consecuencias globais sobre o viñedo. En calquera caso o efecto das cubertas sobre o control do vigor axudan a reducir a incidencia de praga. #esenciamartincodax Asinado Miguel Tubío, Director de Viticultura.