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. 2020 Nov 3;15(1):23.
doi: 10.1186/s13021-020-00158-z.

Ecosystem services in vineyard landscapes: a focus on aboveground carbon storage and accumulation

J N Williams  1   2 , J A Morandé  3   4 , M G Vaghti  3 , J Medellín-Azuara, J H Viers  3   4
Affiliations

Ecosystem services in vineyard landscapes: a focus on aboveground carbon storage and accumulation

J N Williams et al. Carbon Balance Manag. .

Abstract

Background: Organic viticulture can generate a range of ecosystem services including supporting biodiversity, reducing the use of conventional pesticides and fertilizers, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions through long-term carbon (C) storage. Here we focused on aboveground C storage rates and accumulation using a one-year increment analysis applied across different winegrape varietals and different-aged vineyard blocks. This produced a chronosequence of C storage rates over what is roughly the productive lifespan of most vines (aged 2-30 years). To our knowledge, this study provides the first estimate of C storage rates in the woody biomass of vines. Additionally, we assessed C storage in wildland buffers and adjacent oak-dominated habitats over a 9-year period.

Results: Carbon storage averaged 6.5 Mg/Ha in vines. We found the average annual increase in woody C storage was 43% by mass. Variation correlated most strongly with vine age, where the younger the vine, the greater the relative increase in annual C. Decreases in C increment rates with vine age were more than offset by the greater overall biomass of older vines, such that C on the landscape continued to increase over the life of the vines at 18.5% per year on average. Varietal did not significantly affect storage rates or total C stored. Carbon storage averaged 81.7 Mg/Ha in native perennial buffer vegetation; we found an 11% increase in mass over 9 years for oak woodlands and savannas.

Conclusions: Despite a decrease in the annual rate of C accumulation as vines age, we found a net increase in aboveground C in the woody biomass of vines. The results indicate the positive role that older vines play in on-farm (vineyard) C and overall aboveground accumulation rates. Additionally, we found that the conservation of native perennial vegetation as vineyard buffers and edge habitats contributes substantially to overall C stores. We recommend that future research consider longer time horizons for increment analysis, as this should improve the precision of C accumulation rate estimates, including in belowground (i.e., soil) reservoirs.

Keywords: Biodynamic farming; Carbon storage rate; Climate mitigation; Grape vine; Organic farming; Regenerative agriculture; Vegetation buffer; Wildland conservation; Woody biomass.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Aboveground vine measurement protocol. This grape vine shows where length (brackets) and diameter (arrows) measurements were taken to calculate perennial aboveground wood volume. The thin branches above the secondary cordon are remnants of annual canes which are not included in the estimate. The inset shows single sheet hyperboloid used to estimate main trunk volume. The round blue tag has unique identification number for subsequent measurements
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Annual C increment in vine woody biomass relative to vine age and management type. a shows the C increment as a percentage of grape vine woody biomass fitted with a negative natural logarithm trendline. b shows the increment in terms of additional C per hectare (Ha) added to the landscape. c shows cumulative C in woody biomass per vine by age
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Landscape C increments of vine woody biomass by 5-year age class. This boxplot shows median values (dark lines) and quartile ranges of landscape C increments (Mg/Ha) from woody biomass for vines by 5-year age class (x axis)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Annual C increment in woody biomass of grape vines by varietal. Increment is per block as a percentage of vine biomass. Slight negative values are likely a result of differences in water content of wood at the time of measurement
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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