LIVING SOILS Operational Group: Regenerating life in the soils of vineyards in Cádiz
- Type Operational group
- Status In progress
- Execution 2022 -2024
- Assigned Budget 299.601,00 €
- Scope Autonómico
- Autonomous community Andalucía
- Main source of financing CAP 2023-2027
- Project website GO SUELOS VIVOS
Vineyards are essential to the economy and ecology of Cádiz, the Andalusian province with the largest area dedicated to this crop. Traditionally, Cádiz's vineyards harbored a great biodiversity of plants, insects, and birds. However, the intensification of viticulture and the excessive use of tillage, fertilizers, and pesticides have resulted in highly eroded vineyards that are biologically impoverished and much more susceptible to pathogens and pests. Furthermore, the growing dependence on agrochemical treatments has negative economic consequences for producers and affects the quality of their products.
The project will contribute to addressing the challenge of the ecological transition demanded by different national and international institutions through various policies and agreements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the European Green Deal and the Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation of Andalusia, among others.
- Synthesis of available knowledge on the different practices to be implemented.
- Characterization of the biodiversity and functionality of the soils of the vineyards of Cadiz, with emphasis on the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Designation of Origin.
- Selection of soils and microorganisms with biotechnological potential.
- Design and production of pure and community-based microbial inoculants.
- Greenhouse trials of the effect of inoculants (treatments with different inoculants, commercial inoculant and uninoculated soil) and selection of the most effective ones.
- Field trials with the selected inoculants and winemaking of grapes.
- Dissemination and training to the scientific community and producers.
The objective is to validate innovative vineyard and pasture management strategies in Cádiz that accelerate the transformation from conventional intensive production systems to sustainable vineyards that provide ecosystem services. This will be achieved through integrated, sustainable practices: the application of microbial inoculants (produced from microorganisms found in the province's soils and byproducts of winemaking and pruning waste), the planting of cover crops with native species, and the use of sheep for vegetation control. These practices will help overcome the negative effects of "legacy soils" and produce higher-quality, higher-value wine.
- Improves biological fertility.
- Reduction of inputs.
- Biostimulants.
- Scientific information.
- Digital Atlas.
- Coordinator/entity name: University of Cádiz
- Postal address: Business Transfer Center, Olivillo Building, Avda. Duque de Nájera nº14, CP 11003 CÁDIZ
- Email coordinator/entity: otri@uca.es
- Telephone: 956 015 171
- Universidad de Cádiz
- Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Agroalimentación (administracion@ceia3.es)
- Asociación de Jóvenes Agricultores de Cádiz (ASAJA Cádiz) (buzon@asajacadiz.org
- Bodega Primitivo Collantes (administracion@bodegasprimitivocollantes.com)
- Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO) (vrinvest@upo.es)
- Universidad de Cádiz
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