THE SOIL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT FOR GROWING ANY FRUIT OR VEGETABLE. TAKING CARE OF IT IS THEREFORE CRUCIAL SO THAT IT CAN PROVIDE ALL THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS TO GROW GRAPES IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY AND OF THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE QUALITY. THE BEST WAY TO ACHIEVE THIS IS TO UNDERSTAND ITS NATURAL FUNCTIONING AND AIM TO REPRODUCE IT IN THE VINEYARD.
STEP 1
First of all, if we observe nature, we realize that the soil is always covered and never left “bare”. In winter, it is protected by dead leaves, and in summer by grass, flowers, trees, and plants. It seems obvious that nature seeks to protect the soil from its greatest enemy: the sun. Indeed, UV rays, if they penetrate directly into the soil, can be very harmful by “burning” most of the flora and fauna present in the subsoil.
STEP 2
Soil cultivation (plowing) is also illogical in preserving soil quality. There is no natural process where the soil is plowed naturally. This is because the soil consists of several layers that host different species (fungi and bacteria), each performing specific tasks (decomposition of organic matter and assimilation into the soil). Each of these layers has a specific microclimate so that each species can “work” under the best conditions. To avoid disrupting these microclimates, it is necessary to stop plowing the soil. Indeed, when we work the soil, we bring up layers that are supposed to be buried and not on the surface, which results in stopping the actions of the species in this part of the soil because they no longer evolve in their usual habitat. This stoppage is even more abrupt as the layers will be exposed to UV rays that would not normally reach them.
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Claude Bourguignon
A permanent vegetative cover thus appears to be indispensable for preserving the microbiology of an undisturbed soil. The latter is essential to ensure the efficiency of fungi and bacteria responsible for creating new soil, assimilating minerals, and sequestering carbon in the terrain.
To better grasp this theory, I yield the floor to the foremost expert in soil microbiology, I named Claude Bourguignon.