Strawberry Living Mulch in an Organic Vineyard

Summary

A living mulch system can provide beneficial biodiversified phytocoenoses and spatial
competition against weeds; however, it may also compete for water with the main cultivated crop
under Mediterranean climate conditions. Strawberries employed as living mulch in a rain-fed hill
vineyard of central Italy were evaluated for two years through a participative approach involving the
farmer. A local wild strawberry was propagated by stolons to obtain small plantlets easily uprooted
after the summer and then transplanted to a one-year-old vineyard. The densities of two and four
strawberry plants per grapevine were compared with no living mulch in a randomized complete
block design. A horizontal blade weeder was used once a year in all treatments. The results showed
that strawberries as living mulch plus application of a blade weeder avoided the need for further soil
tillage and assured a full soil cover during winter for both initial planting densities. The strawberry
living mulch did not alter the grapevine transpiration during an incident of water stress in summer.
Moreover, the yield per vine and the grape quality were comparable with those of the soil without
living mulch. The growth of strawberry mulch was relevant in the area surrounding the vines.
Furthermore, the living mulch guaranteed a constant soil cover reducing the risk for soil erosion
while increasing the vineyard’s biological diversity. This may imply a higher resilience.