Assessing the contribution of spontaneous vegetation to carbon storage and biodiversity in a vineyard of Argentina

Abstract

Spontaneous vegetation in crop systems supports many ecosystem benefits, such as enhanced biodiversity. Vineyards are considered one of the most relevant crops in the arid lands of Argentina. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on developing more sustainable practices to enhance a balance among available resources, living organisms, and productivity in vineyards worldwide. We studied the coverage and richness of spontaneousvegetation in a vineyard of Mendoza specifically examining its contribution to biodiversity and carbon storage. We characterized, analyzed, and discussed the plant diversity and the effects of management practices on coverage and carbon storage in both the inter-row and row spaces. As expected, the inter-row areas exhibited greater number of species and higher coverage percentage under both removal and non-removal practices compared to the rowspaces which were predominantly dominated by non-native species. The aboveground vegetation in both the row and the inter-row retained more carbon than the belowground biomass. The spontaneous vegetation in the inter-row space accumulated 1.6 tnC/ha, while the under row space accumulated 0.18 tnC/ha. This research provides valuable insights into the characteristics and carbon retention capabilities of spontaneous vegetation growing ina commercial vineyard from Mendoza, Argentina.