Evaluating the Impact of Mowing, Wire Mulching, and Shallow Tillage on Under-Row Weed Management and Operational Performance in an Italian Vineyard

Soil degradation in vineyards represents an increasing concern. Among vineyard management practices, under-row weed control is often performed through mechanical methods relying on equipment that may negatively affect soil health, highlighting the need to evaluate more sustainable solutions for soil preservation. This study, conducted during the 2024 growing season in Palaia (Pisa, Italy), aimed to evaluate and compare three under-row weed management strategies, each characterized by the implementation of two weed control interventions. One strategy was based on low-impact soil tillage, consisting of two operations: a first intervention performed with a rollhacke and a second one with a blade weeder. The other two strategies relied on weed cutting without soil disturbance from the implements: one involved two interventions with an under-vine mower, while the other included two interventions with a wire mulcher. No significant differences were observed in terms of weed biomass among the tested strategies, although the tillage-based solution generally resulted in greater weed height (41.31 cm), yet always below the cluster zone. In terms of total weed cover, the mowing-based strategy achieved the highest value (28.33%). The mowing-based strategy also showed higher species richness (2.17) compared with the mulching-based strategy, and a higher Shannon index (0.25) than both other strategies, highlighting the potential ecological value of this approach. However, from an operational perspective, the tillage- and mulching-based strategies proved to be the most efficient, both in terms of operating time (2.54 and 2.02 h ha−1, respectively) and fuel consumption (10.63 and 11.47 kg ha−1, respectively). On average, these two strategies reduced operating time and fuel consumption by 73.79% and 74.39%, respectively, compared with the mowing-based strategy.