Enhancing Sustainability and Climate Resilience of Salt-Affected Table-Grape Orchards Through Regenerative Management: Soil Biological Function, Localized Sodium Leaching, and Nutrient Dynamics

Vineyards are facing increased limitations in terms of productivity and quality of grapes due to climate change and rising levels of soil salinization, especially in semiarid environments. Regenerative agricultural approaches, which combine the concepts of soil biological restoration with nutrient and salinity management, offer a promising pathway to enhance sustainability in a climate change scenario. An experiment was conducted to assess a specific set of regenerative agricultural approaches in a salt-affected table grape vineyard, which involved the localized application of well-matured compost (3.0 kg/vine) and the implementation of an opposite-side emitter drip irrigation system. An experimental design was implemented to understand the dynamics of soil microbiology, salinity management, and plant nutrition in a vineyard setting. Soils were analyzed to understand the relationship between rhizosphere microbiology and vine nutrition, with petiole Na levels above 0.5% of dry weight of plant material indicating salinity stress in grapevines. Statistically significant results were obtained in terms of soil organic carbon levels, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, and enzyme activity levels in the vineyard soil following the implementation of the regenerative agricultural approaches. These results were supported by a reduction in exchangeable Na+ levels in the 0–15-cm depth layer of the vineyard soil, a reduction in the soil salinity ratio, a reduction in bulk ECe levels, a reduction in bulk pH levels, increased levels of petiole nitrogen and phosphorus, increased levels of leaf area index, increased levels of pruning weight, and increased levels of vineyard yield per vine. These results were obtained using a leaching fraction of 10%–15%.