On Friday, September 9, 2022, the Gumpenstein project team of the LIFE project VineAdapt participated in the 23rd LIFE Platform in Krems an der Donau . Following the presentation of the project fundamentals and work packages – Innovative vineyard greening to increase biodiversity and vegetation management in the under-vine area – alternatives to glyphosate – by Dr. Wilhelm Graiss, there was a lively exchange about the locations, species selection, and maintenance measures for such greening.
The stay in Lower Austria was combined with consulting work at the Domäne Wachau winery. In March of this year, three HBLFA mixtures selected by the (grasses, grass-herb mixture, and a species-rich mixture) and three low-growing species (common thyme, hawkweed, and furrowed fescue) were sown there and at cooperating vineyards with a view to "ecological weed control in the under-vine area." Nearly six months later, the plots show varying degrees of establishment of the species. At some locations, competition from weeds is very high, while at others, the fine seeds were partially washed away by excessive irrigation. An autumn sowing of the same species will soon be carried out at three locations to determine whether this will result in greater competitiveness than the spring sowing, due to improved water supply from morning dew and lower temperatures.
