A case study on the use of inter-row cover crops on a new and old vineyard cv. ‘Assyrtiko’ in Santorini Island

Abstract

In Santorini Island, Greece, the research and revival of cultivation techniques are crucial to the adaptation of viticulture in the current unique and extreme climatic and cultural conditions, including the increasingly extreme climatic phenomena resulting from climate change. This work presents the use of cover crops, in a new planting and productive Assyrtiko vineyard in Santorin Island. Our study is the first reflection of the use of cover crops in the special conditions of the island to mitigate wind and sandblasting damages and reduce high ground temperatures during days with high temperatures. We showed that the use of cover crops could play a significant role in reducing the wind speed and the resulting sandblasting that cause almost every year damage to young and productive vines when they are at critical growth stages.