The VIÑA-RAÍCES Regional Government unveils its second demonstration plot in Extremadura.

The VIÑA-RAÍCES Operational Group continues to advance in its demonstration trial on different soil management methods in vineyards, and has announced the details of the second demonstration plot , located in Villafranca de los Barros (Badajoz) , like the first.

This Demonstration Plot 02 has a total area of 1.73 hectares of vineyards, with the trial area occupying approximately 2,000 m² . The Tempranillo grape variety is trained on a trellis and planted with a planting frame of 3.0 x 1.8 metres , giving a density of 3,204 plants per hectare . The soil has a clay texture and is irrigated by drip irrigation .

The essay compares three different soil management methods , with the aim of evaluating their influence on the sustainability and productivity of the vineyard:

• Spontaneous vegetation cover
• Conventional tillage with the incorporation of pruning remains
• Conventional tillage without incorporating pruning residues

According to the technical team, the trial "is proceeding normally," although the vegetation cover has been affected by high temperatures and low rainfall over the summer months.

The trial harvest took place on August 14, 2025 , when the grapes reached their optimum ripeness .

Throughout the year , images and monitoring data have been collected, allowing us to observe the progress of the different treatments and the condition of the vineyard, providing valuable information for the wine industry on its journey toward more sustainable and efficient soil management.