In vineyards, cover crops typically grow concurrently with grapevines and can impart a multitude of agroecosystem services; yet concerns over potential disservices might limit adoption. Reductions in yield and vegetative growth are key disservices of concern, but at sites with high soil resources, reducing excessive vegetative growth is often considered beneficial, if the yield is not strongly penalized. To optimize agroecosystem services provided by cover crops, it is crucial to examine above- and belowground plant responses over multiple years. Documentation of the responses of fruit crop root systems to cover crops may clarify potential benefits for long-term agroecosystem services associated with aboveground growth and soil resources. In 2016, we established a perennial grass under young vines (full floor cover) to examine if agroecosystem services imparted by an under-vine cover crop change in the first five years of vineyard production and depend on rootstock vigor. Overall, cover crop reduced grapevine vegetative growth between 13% and 30% across all years and with a trend of more substantial reductions in the first two years. In contrast, yield was reduced in only three of the five years, between 9% and 25%, depending on the rootstock. Furthermore, neither cover crop nor differences in rootstock vigor resulted in relevant or consistent changes in fruit chemistry during the study. Overall, we found that in a relatively fertile, young vineyard, combining a lower vigor rootstock with a perennial, under-vine cover crop imparts substantial agroecosystem services in comparison to the more common practices of using a medium vigor rootstock and spraying herbicide under the vines. These services included improved crop load (ratio of fruit to vegetative mass), increased soil phosphorus availability, increased deep soil water content, and presumably lower labor and other costs associated with vineyard maintenance. Studies on a decadal timescale are needed to further clarify whether these services persist, accumulate with time, or if competition from the cover crop eventually leads to unacceptable decreases in vine nutrient status, growth, and production.

在葡萄园中，覆盖作物通常与葡萄藤同时生长，可以提供多种农业生态系统服务；然而，对潜在损害的担忧可能会限制采用。产量和营养生长的减少是主要的不利因素，但在土壤资源丰富的地方，如果产量没有受到严重影响，减少过度的营养生长通常被认为是有益的。为了优化覆盖作物提供的农业生态系统服务，检查地上和地下植物多年来的反应至关重要。水果作物根系对覆盖作物的反应的记录可能会阐明与地上生长和土壤资源相关的长期农业生态系统服务的潜在好处。2016年，我们在幼藤下种植多年生草（全地面覆盖），以检查在葡萄园生产的头五年中，葡萄下覆盖作物提供的农业生态系统服务是否发生变化，并取决于砧木活力。总体而言，覆盖作物在所有年份使葡萄的营养生长减少了 13% 至 30%，并且在头两年有更大幅度减少的趋势。相比之下，根据砧木的不同，五年中只有三年的产量下降了 9% 到 25%。此外，在研究期间，覆盖作物和砧木活力的差异都不会导致水果化学发生相关或一致的变化。总的来说，我们发现在一个相对肥沃、年轻的葡萄园中，将活力较低的砧木与多年生植物相结合，与使用中等活力砧木和在葡萄藤下喷洒除草剂的更常见做法相比，葡萄藤下覆盖作物提供了大量的农业生态系统服务。这些服务包括改善作物负荷（水果与植物质量的比率）、增加土壤磷的有效性、增加深层土壤含水量，以及可能降低与葡萄园维护相关的劳动力和其他成本。需要对十年时间尺度进行研究，以进一步阐明这些服务是否会持续存在、随着时间的推移而积累，或者来自覆盖作物的竞争是否最终导致葡萄树营养状况、生长和产量的不可接受的下降。增加土壤磷的可用性，增加深层土壤含水量，并可能降低与葡萄园维护相关的劳动力和其他成本。需要对十年时间尺度进行研究，以进一步阐明这些服务是否会持续存在、随着时间的推移而积累，或者来自覆盖作物的竞争是否最终导致葡萄树营养状况、生长和产量的不可接受的下降。增加土壤磷的可用性，增加深层土壤含水量，并可能降低与葡萄园维护相关的劳动力和其他成本。需要对十年时间尺度进行研究，以进一步阐明这些服务是否会持续存在、随着时间的推移而积累，或者来自覆盖作物的竞争是否最终导致葡萄树营养状况、生长和产量的不可接受的下降。