Soil biological fertility

We believe that the most important resource of a wine estate is the soil, where a large part of the planet’s biodiversity can be found. Living organisms transform the organic matter back into mineral elements subsequently available for plants. Furthermore, the process of humus formation plays an important role, that leads to the transformation of the organic substance into complex and very stable compounds (humus), which are truly beneficial for the soil.

Soil biological testing aims to identify its vitality and to propose actions for the improvement and maintenance of fertility.

The soil biological fertility can be considered as all the processes and ecosystem services together with the combination of both soil functions and organisms. The more an environment is rich in biodiversity, the more stable and resistant it is to negative external pressures.

The soil biological analysis consists in measuring the quantity and vitality of microorganisms in the soil. We are able to provide this information by identifying and studying of some biological indices:

• Soil Biological Fertility Index (BFI) : it allows specifying the soil fertility level on a scale from 1 to 5. ;
• Microbial Biomass Analysis: it measures the quantity of soil microorganisms;
• Metabolic quotient: it evaluates the quality of respiration (CO2 emission) of microorganisms;
• Estimated biomass: it establishes the exact value for each single plot thanks to an innovative forecasting model, an exclusive evaluation model of Vitenova.

How can this precise information help the wine estate? The set of measured data is essential to understand the following aspects:

• Preservation of the soil structure;
• Balance of the soil fertility;
• Optimization of the the use of fertilizers;
• Maintenance of vineyard productivity;
• improvement of the health and quality of the yield.

This type of analysis is important as it provides us with the measures of health status of the soil and its productivity.

Therefore, we strive to preserve and improve the agricultural soils quality in order to effectively and durably ensure the income of farmers, quality yield and environmental protection.