Maintaining soil quality is a key challenge for Mediterranean vineyards, where declining soil organic matter affects both productivity and ecosystem services. This study evaluated how service crops and organic amendments, alone and in combination, influence soil functioning, vine performance, and yield across six commercial vineyards in southern France. Four soil management strategies were tested over three years (2020–21; 2021–22; 2022–23): tillage (T), tillage + amendment (TA), service crop (C), and service crop + amendment (CA). Soil organic matter fractions, microbial biomass, mineralisation rates, and mineral nitrogen were measured, alongside vine growth, yield, and berry composition. Combining service crops and organic amendments (CA) consistently enhanced particulate organic matter (up to 0.45%), microbial biomass (up to 70 mg/kg), and mineralisation rates (above 300 mg kg⁻¹ ), suggesting strong combined effect on soil biogeochemical processes. Mineral-associated organic matter was less responsive, reflecting slower turnover. Increased microbial activity under CA was associated with higher organic inputs. Vine yield (2.18–3.48 kg per vine) and cluster number were mainly driven by interannual climatic variability, with no negative effects of soil management. Vine vigor was temporarily reduced during the first dry year, and grape nitrogen status (YAN) was slightly lower with service crops.These results show that interactions between soil management practices enhance soil functioning and nutrient cycling without compromising production, highlighting their role in supporting ecosystem services and agroecosystem resilience in Mediterranean vineyards.

Researchers have addressed agroenvironmental challenges by analyzing changes in agroecosystem management practices and looking closely at the mindset of humans in their interactions with nonhumans. Diverse modes of human/nonhuman interactions are at play in agroecological systems. Yet these changes lack sufficient theoretical grounding and would require conceptual clarification and further in-depth analysis. Here we propose an approach to specify these interactions, while outlining the agronomic analytical frameworks that currently do not fully capture the multitude of different human/nonhuman interaction modalities. We also present an analytical grounding for the different ways of approaching non-human agency. Finally, our combined agronomy-anthropology approach offers four possible interaction stances between humans and nonhumans: doing, getting something done, doing with and letting do, and here we address the following question: what does each stance technically and ontologically entail? We illustrate these stances relative to different vineyard weed management strategies so as to compare examples with the same agronomic target outcome.

Vineyard soils face various agronomic issues such as poor organic carbon levels, erosion, fertility losses, and numerous studies have highlighted the ability of service crops to address these issues. Because biodiversity enhances the multifunctionality of managed ecosystems, service crop mixtures that increase functional diversity represent a promising option to improve vineyard sustainability. Plant functional traits play a crucial role in understanding ecosystem functions, serving as drivers for ecosystem processes and influencing ecosystem services, but the relationship between plant functional traits and ecosystem services is also complex. This study aimed to identify the links between the functional structure of the service crops associated with grapevines, the function they deliver and ecosystem function multifunctionality (EFM), in a Mediterranean vineyard. Thirteen different monocultures of service crop species were sown in the inter-rows of plots of 30 m length that covered one row and the two adjacent inter-rows, at random locations. We then studied 38 plant communities each composed of one of the sown service crop and the spontaneous vegetation that developed with it. At vine budburst, we simultaneously measured five indicators of ecosystem functions (runoff reduction, soil stabilization, soil mineral nitrogen supply for the vine, soil water supply for the vine, and community biomass production), along with 12 above- and below-ground functional markers of the community associated with these functions, in each plant community. Relationships between ecosystem functions and functional markers were analyzed by combining PCA, correlations and multiple linear regressions. We showed that traits upscaled at the community level (CWM) explained part of the targeted functions: significant correlations between traits and functions ranged from 0.33 to 0.6; the R2 values of the linear regression models between functional indicators and the PCA axes derived from the traits ranged from 0.16 to 0.56. Additionally, we identified tradeoffs between functions, and observed that the biomass production was a major driver of soil-based ecosystem functions. In conclusion, functionally different communities provided different levels of functions and EFM. Designing service crops communities with complementary plant traits may be particularly relevant for increasing multifunctionality and agrosystem sustainability.

Societal Impact Statement Reducing herbicide use and preparing agroecosystems for climate change are two top priorities on the global policy agenda. Here, we explore whether these two challenges can be tackled simultaneously. While weeds are generally considered a threat to crop production, we show that weeds can help overcome climate change challenges in agroecosystems. However, crop-weed interactions need to be carefully managed. Options for this were found to be greater in perennial than in annual systems. These findings provide a new perspective on weeds and call for more research on the appreciation of weeds as service plants, which ultimately may create new avenues for weed management and agricultural policy. Summary center dot Sustainable agricultural production is at risk due to climate change, the increasing herbicide resistance of weeds and pressures to minimise herbicide use. Rather than solely considering weeds as part of the problem, we see this as an opportunity to investigate whether weeds can help overcome climate change challenges in agroecosystems. center dot Using both ecological and agronomic perspectives, we assessed to what extent weeds can support the ecosystem functions water and climate regulation and whether their potential role as service plants would interfere with crop production. center dot Based on ecological trait-based analyses, we demonstrate that weeds are excellent candidates to support the delivery of water and climate regulation. Despite climate change-induced shifts in weed communities, weeds continue to support these ecosystem functions. However, weed trait values that promote the ecosystem processes underlying water and climate regulation also tend to increase competition with crops. We show that confining weed-crop interactions is key to allow weeds to operate as service plants and that the spatial and temporal opportunities to manage these interactions vary among annual and perennial cropping systems. Overall, diversified management is recommended in both systems to avoid the selection of weed communities composed of just a few highly competitive weed species. center dot We conclude that weeds could act as service plants in a changing climate rather than being considered a threat to agroecosystems. Weed management and research should thus prioritise the investigation and implementation of this new perspective.

Maintaining soil quality is a key challenge for Mediterranean vineyards, where declining soil organic matter affects both productivity and ecosystem services. This study evaluated how service crops and organic amendments, alone and in combination, influence soil functioning, vine performance, and yield across six commercial vineyards in southern France. Four soil management strategies were tested over three years (2020–2023): tillage (T), tillage + amendment (TA), service crop (C), and service crop + amendment (CA). Soil organic matter fractions, microbial biomass, mineralisation rates, and mineral nitrogen were measured, alongside vine growth, yield, and berry composition. Combining service crops and organic amendments (CA) consistently enhanced particulate organic matter (up to 0.45%), microbial biomass (up to 70 mg/kg), and mineralisation rates (above 300 mg/kg), indicating non-additive effects on soil biogeochemical processes. Mineral-associated organic matter was less responsive, reflecting slower turnover. Increased microbial activity under CA was associated with higher organic inputs rather than residual mineral nitrogen at flowering. Vine yield (2.18–3.48 kg per vine) and cluster number were mainly driven by interannual climatic variability, with no negative effects of soil management. Vine vigor was temporarily reduced during the first dry year, and grape nitrogen status (YAN) was slightly lower with service crops.,These results show that interactions between soil management practices enhance soil functioning and nutrient cycling without compromising production, highlighting their role in supporting ecosystem services and agroecosystem resilience in Mediterranean vineyards.

Diversification of farming systems at plot scale is increasingly seen as an essential option to meet agriculture sustainability challenges and support agroecological transition. Significant progress has been made in recent years on methods for designing diversified cropping systems based on annual crops. However, few methods have been tested for designing diversified cropping systems based on perennial crops, and in particular perennial crop-based agroforestry systems, despite their important dietary and economic roles in the world. In this study, we argue that the characteristics of perennial crops induce specific structural and functional changes that impact the design process. We identified four key concepts for the design of diversified perennial crop-based agroforestry systems: (i) the targeted productivity must be considered over the long term and at the plot level, and encompass not only the productive and non-productive stages of perennial crops but also of associated plants; (ii) these systems will eventually face shocks and crisis in their lifetime, so they should be designed with resilience and adaptability in mind; (iii) initial designs will necessarily evolve throughout the long lifespan of perennial crops, and so a combination of de novo design from scratch and step-by-step design approaches for regeneration or transformation will be required; and (iv) due to the high complexity of these systems and the difficulty of setting up trials, the design process should draw from a range of knowledges from academics and practitioners and hybrid them. These four key features show that perennial crops offer distinct opportunities for the design of sustainable diversified cropping systems, but also face specific challenges that require more transdisciplinary research.

Nitrogen (N) availability is crucial to maintaining crop productivity in agroecosystems, driven primarily by soil microbial processes such as nitrification and denitrification. Weeds are an integral part of agroecosystems and are involved in many processes related to the N cycle, but how weed management could shift plant-microbe interactions, and thus, N-cycling is yet to be determined. Using a network of 15 Mediterranean vineyards, we quantified the effect of 5 years of different weed management practices (chemical weeding, tillage, mowing) on the above-ground and below-ground functional properties of weed communities and soil microbial N-cycling. Specific root length (SRL) of the tilled and mowed weed communities were 30% and 44% lower than in the herbicide-treated weed communities. Soil pH and texture were the main drivers of soil microbial activity as quantified by substrate-induced respiration (SIR), potential denitrifying enzyme activities to SIR ratio (PDEA:SIR) and potential nitrifying and denitrifying enzyme activity ratio (PNEA:PDEA). SIR was also impacted by the management: Mowed weed communities had 58% higher SIR compared to herbicide-treated communities. Weed communities with high SRL were associated with soils with a higher nitrifying enzyme efficiency per unit of respired carbon. Synthesis and applications. Overall, our findings indicate that vineyard weed management influences the potential nitrifying enzyme activities by modifying the root strategies of weed communities. This study highlights that the design of sustainable weed management strategies should incorporate unintended effects on soil microbial communities and N-cycling. La disponibilit & eacute; de l'azote (N) dans le sol est une propri & eacute;t & eacute; cruciale pour le maintien de la productivit & eacute; des agrosyst & egrave;mes. La disponibilit & eacute; de cet & eacute;l & eacute;ment est notamment d & eacute;termin & eacute;e par deux processus microbiens du sol: la nitrification et la d & eacute;nitrification. Les adventices font partie int & eacute;grante des agrosyst & egrave;mes et sont impliqu & eacute;es dans de nombreux processus li & eacute;s au cycle de l'azote. Cependant, les effets du mode de gestion de l'enherbement spontan & eacute; sur les interactions entre les adventices et les microorganismes impliqu & eacute;s dans le cycle de l'azote restent & agrave; d & eacute;terminer. En mobilisant un r & eacute;seau de 15 vignobles m & eacute;diterran & eacute;ens, nous avons quantifi & eacute; l'effet de cinq ann & eacute;es de diff & eacute;rentes pratiques de gestion des adventices (d & eacute;sherbage chimique, travail du sol, tonte) sur les propri & eacute;t & eacute;s fonctionnelles a & eacute;riennes et racinaires des communaut & eacute;s adventices et sur les processus microbiens du cycle de l'azote. La longueur sp & eacute;cifique des racines (SRL) des communaut & eacute;s adventices avec travail du sol et tonte & eacute;tait respectivement inf & eacute;rieure de 30% et 44% & agrave; celle des communaut & eacute;s d'adventices d & eacute;sherb & eacute;es chimiquement. Le pH et la texture du sol ont & eacute;t & eacute; les principaux d & eacute;terminants de l'activit & eacute; microbienne du sol, quantifi & eacute;e par la respiration induite par substrat (SIR), le rapport entre les activit & eacute;s enzymatiques d & eacute;nitrifiantes potentielles et la SIR (PDEA:SIR) et le rapport entre les activit & eacute;s enzymatiques nitrifiantes potentielles et d & eacute;nitrifiantes (PNEA:PDEA).La SIR des sols a & eacute;galement & eacute;t & eacute; impact & eacute;e par les modes de gestion des adventices: les communaut & eacute;s adventices tondues avaient une SIR 58% plus & eacute;lev & eacute;e que les communaut & eacute;s trait & eacute;es aux herbicides. Les communaut & eacute;s adventices pr & eacute;sentant une SRL & eacute;lev & eacute;e & eacute;taient associ & eacute;es & agrave; des sols pr & eacute;sentant une efficacit & eacute; enzymatique nitrifiante plus & eacute;lev & eacute;e par unit & eacute; de carbone respir & eacute;. Synth & egrave;se et applications. Nos r & eacute;sultats d & eacute;montrent que la gestion de l'enherbement des vignobles influence les activit & eacute;s potentielles des enzymes nitrifiantes du sol, en modifiant les strat & eacute;gies racinaires des communaut & eacute;s adventices. Cette & eacute;tude souligne que la conception de strat & eacute;gies durables de lutte contre les adventices doit int & eacute;grer les effets involontaires sur les communaut & eacute;s microbiennes du sol et le recyclage de l'azote.

Lack of floral resources is suspected to be one of the factors involved in flower-visiting insect declines. Because agricultural landscapes are often poor in flowers, it seems crucial to assess weeds as floral resources to feed flower-visiting insects and to identify the factors that drive floral productivity, defined as floral biomass produced by the weed community. We monitored floral presence, productivity and traits in 16 olive groves from September 2021 to June 2022. The objectives were to understand to which extinct abiotic factors, among agricultural practices, pedoclimate and weather, determine floral productivity and to analyse the relationships between floral traits, floral presence and productivity. We found mowing frequency (2-3 per year on average) increased mean floral area and height, advanced flowering onset, and increased floral functional diversity and flowering species richness, which in turn increased floral presence and productivity.

Today, enhancing the sustainability of rubber-based cropping systems is crucial to ensure sufficient production to meet the growing demand for natural rubber while limiting negative impacts. Inter-row management during the immature period of rubber is particularly important to establish a viable and productive plantation in the long term while starting production as soon as possible. Two main inter-row management options exist in smallholder rubber plantations in Thailand, mono-cropping and intercropping systems. Inter-row management is usually characterized and assessed based on the choice of the crop while the associated technical operations remain poorly considered in the literature. We undertook the detailed characterization of inter-row management including the diversity of technical operations used during the immature period of rubber systems in three contrasted provinces in Thailand. Semi-directive interviews were conducted on 137 plantations intercropped with cassava in Buriram, pineapple in Rayong, upland rice in Trang or with rubber grown as a mono-crop in these three provinces. The 'Typ-iti' method, combining multivariate analysis, clustering and association rules was used to explore the diversity of technical management routes (TMRs). A wide range of inter-row TMRs was observed in each cropping system. The clusters were distinguished according to several management steps along the TMR, making them more complex to characterize than with a single management step or an overall gradient of intensification, especially in cassava and upland rice systems. In the mono-cropping systems, the diversity of inter-row management concerned the technical operations used to control weeds, and differences were identified both within and between provinces. No temporal changes in the TMRs were observed either in the same plot for cassava, upland rice, or in the mono-cropping systems in Rayong, whereas some adjustments over time were identified in pineapple systems in Rayong, i.e. a reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides. In mono-cropping systems, the number of weeding operations was reduced in Buriram while in Trang, changes in weeding methods were observed from one year to the next. Among the technical operations identified, those used for pineapple cultivation were the most intense, although there was considerable variability among pineapple growers. This study highlights the wide range of technical operations currently used for managing the inter-rows during the immature period of rubber systems in different contexts in Thailand that may result in varying sustainability performances at plot level. Any evaluation of systems used during the immature period of rubber should thus include management diversity, with both the choice of the intercrop and associated technical operations, to better understand performance variability.

Perennial cropping systems begin their cycles with a pluriannual immature period. Appropriate management, including the inter-rows, is essential for the long-term viability, and productivity of the plantation while reducing the length of the unproductive period. Despite its significant economic and environmental impacts, the immature period is still poorly characterized and rarely included in the assessment of perennial cropping systems sustainability. Rubber plantations are an interesting case, as a major perennial system in the tropics. Here we conducted a systematic review to identify (1) management practices in inter-rows of immature rubber plantations; (2) the variables used in the literature to analyze the adoption drivers of these practices and to assess their effects on plantation functionalities and performances; and (3) the main effects of diversification practices on plantation functionalities and performances. The major results showed that (1) different inter-row management practices, including a diversity of crops, are possible during the immature period; (2) adoption of diversification practices is driven by few global factors but mostly depends on the specific socio-economic and agroecological context; (3) diversification practices are usually assessed with respect to agronomic and economic performances, and their impacts are generally positive. We identified missing knowledge required for a comprehensive view on current inter-row management practices in immature rubber plantations. First, technical operations should be included in the characterization and assessment of inter-row management practices. Second, a multicriteria assessment framework is required to cover all the sustainability dimensions to guarantee the diffusion of more performant management practices. In order to include the diversity of perceptions of sustainability in rubber plantations, this multicriteria assessment should be based on relevant criteria that combine farmers’ and scientists’ points of view. Detailed characterization of current immature rubber plantations merged with multicriteria assessment will be essential for the design of more sustainable rubber tree cropping systems.

Soil management and particularly service crops are a promising solution for addressing current challenges in viticulture as they limit the use of herbicides while increasing potential ecosystem services. Scientific literature barely considers the importance of service crop management to reach trade-offs between ecosystem services and disservices. This study evaluates during a three-year experiment, 6 service crop termination strategies for winter service crops, combining two service crops termination periods (early termination in February vs. termination at grapevine budburst) and three termination methods (mower (M), mower + tillage (T), roller-crimper (R)). Service crop (biomass, C:N ratio, weeds, and mulch following termination), soil ( soil organic matter, microbial biomass, and water and nitrogen stocks), and grapevines (predawn leaf water potential, yield components, delta 13C, yeast assimilable nitrogen in juice, and pruning weight) were monitored from 2019 to 2022. Allowing service crops to develop until the budburst of the vine resulted in a two to three-fold increase in biomass compared to early destruction. Termination involving soil tillage was the most effective method, as treatments destroyed early with soil tillage exhibited almost no regrowth. Soil tillage termination led to the lowest biomass of weeds at the grapevine flowering two years out of three, and prevented the regrowth of certain sown plants, especially Poaceae. The roller was less effective in destroying service crop species but was the best method for maintaining plant residues on the soil surface. A higher soil microbial biomass was observed with termination at budburst, combined with no-till termination methods. Termination involving soil tillage was notably more effective in stopping service crop transpiration, increasing soil water stocks and improving grapevine water status. In 2020 and 2022, soil inorganic nitrogen stocks were almost 4 times higher in the T treatments compared to the other two termination methods, achieving a level of approximately 61 kg ha-1 that closely corresponds to the annual nitrogen requirements of grapevines. The yeast-assimilable nitrogen (YAN) content in grape juice mirrored this trend. Pruning weight varied significantly between different termination methods, with T treatments exhibiting a higher pruning weight per vine in comparison to R and M treatments. In general terms, the T treatment had a significantly higher number of bunches, the M treatment had the lowest, and the R treatment exhibited intermediate values. Overall, the average grapevine yield ranged from 7.25 to 13.7 t ha-1, corresponding to 52-98 hL ha-1 (with 4000 vines ha-1, 140 kg hL-1). This level of production may be accepted for Protected Designations of Origin that limit grapevine yield to 40 or 60 hL ha-1, but it could be a limitation for Protected Geographical Indications, which permit 90 hL ha-1, or unlabeled productions without yield limitations. Given the Mediterranean climate context, with rising frequencies of dry winters due to climate change, termination involving soil tillage appears to be the least risky strategy to preserve grapevine vigor and production while improving soilbased ecosystem functions. However, this might be contingent on the targeted yield and wine valuation.

Pesticides remain the most efficient way to control pest and disease pressure in vineyards and obtain satisfactory yields in terms of quality and quantity. However, because of the harmful effects of pesticides on human health and the environment, winegrowers have had to change their practices. To reduce pesticide use, winegrowers have a range of levers at their disposal that are implemented at different spatial and temporal scales and with different intensities of change. Beyond simply reducing pesticide use, these changes can also impact farms’ economic and social performances notably because vine is a perennial crop with inertia in the impacts of changes operated. In this work, we assessed the covariation between various performances with time. We used the Agrosyst database, which compiles data on the performances of French vineyard cropping systems engaged in a pesticide reduction process for the past 10 years, implementing a reduction of 34%. Based on existing knowledge on transition processes and pesticide reduction in vineyards, we used partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) to assess the dynamic trade-offs between different performances during the pesticide use reduction process. We verified the model we built (GoF = 0.44) and found no significant correlation between pesticide reduction, economic performances (operating costs and fuel consumption), technical performance (mechanical work time) or productivity (yield). Interestingly, we did not observe any effect from reducing fungicides on yield. We only noticed a significant correlation between the initial weed control strategy and the change in weed control strategy (β = 0.18). Furthermore, stopping herbicide use did not affect mechanical work time or costs. Our results are encouraging in terms of maintaining both agronomic and economic performances when reducing pesticides in vineyards.

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Context: Although grapevine nitrogen (N) needs are moderate, N fertilisation in vineyards requires carefully management because berry development, aromatic composition and hence winemaking are largely influenced by N nutrition. Our objective was to develop a method for reasoned N fertilisation between and during the seasons. Methods: Specific sensitivities of soil and plant indicators to N supply and availability were estimated and indicator robustness was quantified using contrasted environmental conditions, crop management and N fertilisation in an experimental network comprising five vineyards in southern France over four successive years. The effects of four N fertilisation treatments combining contrasted amounts, forms and timing on the indicators were tested using linear models. Multiple factorial multiple analysis was used to study the effect of environmental and management factors on indicator sensitivity to mineral N fertilisation at budburst. Results: Yield, soil mineral nitrogen at budburst, chlorophyll concentration (SPAD) at veraison, leaf nitrogen content and yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) at harvest, were all sensitive to N fertilisation after four years. Different effects of the N treatments were observed from year three for SPAD and from year one for YAN. Additionally, SPAD and YAN indicators distinguished contrasted strategies based on different timings of N supply or the form of N fertiliser. Lastly, the response of the SPAD and YAN indicators was only slightly influenced by pedoclimatic conditions or cultural practices, at least for the variables tested here. Conclusion: Two N indicators measured from veraison (SPAD) to harvest (YAN), can provide valuable information for tactical and long-term fertilisation decisions. Notably, early SPAD information may improve technical vineyard management of interactions between fertilisation and other practices (e.g. weed control or tillage) that interfere with plant N nutrition and enable later correction of YAN values. Combining these indicators with non-destructive imaging techniques should improve N and mineral monitoring in general.

Spontaneous plant communities have undergone considerable constraints due to human-mediated changes. Understanding how plant communities are shifting in response to land management and climate changes is necessary to predict future ecosystem functioning and improve the resilience of managed ecosystems, such as agroecosystems. Using Mediterranean weed communities as models of managed plant communities in a climate change hotspot, we quantified the extent to which they have shifted from the 1980s to the 2020s in response to climate and management changes in vineyards. The weed communities of the same 40 vineyards in the Montpellier region were surveyed using the same protocol in spring, summer, and autumn, for two years, with a 40-year interval (1978-1979 vs. 2020-2021). In four decades, the annual range of temperatures (i.e., the difference between the warmest month's and the coldest month's mean temperatures) increased by 1.2 degrees C and the summer temperatures by 2 degrees C. Weed management diversified over time with the adoption of mowing that replaced the chemical weeding of interrows. Chemical weeding is now mostly limited to the area under the row. Current weed communities were 41% more abundant, 24% more diverse, and with a less even distribution of abundance across species than the 1980s communities at the vineyard level. Modern communities were composed of more annual species (57% of annual species in the 1980s vs. 80% in the 2020s) with lower community-weighted seed mass and were composed of fewer C4 species. They had higher community-weighted specific leaf area, higher leaf dry matter content, and lower leaf area than the 1980s weed communities. At the community level, the onset of flowering was earlier and the duration of flowering was longer in the 2020s. Climate change induced more stress-tolerant communities in the 2020s while the diversification of weed management practices favored less ruderal communities. This study shows that plant communities are shifting in response to climate change and that land management is a strong lever for action to model more diverse and eventually more desirable weed communities in the future.