Vineyard skips irrigation and pesticides for 20 years; organic matter doubles

For more than two decades, the soil between rows of grapevines in a Spanish vineyard has remained covered with spontaneous vegetation instead of being repeatedly tilled. The unusual approach was associated with a striking difference beneath the vines: soil managed with long-term vegetation cover contained more than twice as much organic matter in its top layer as nearby soil that was conventionally tilled. The finding offers a glimpse into how leaving the ground undisturbed and maintaining plant cover could help improve soil health in dry, water-limited vineyards. The findings come from a 2026 study published in Frontiers in Soil Science, which compared a rainfed vineyard in central Spain managed with spontaneous cover cropping for more than 20 years with an adjacent vineyard managed through conventional tillage.