Chemical characteristics of the soil in a vineyard under organic and biodynamic management

Biodynamic farming is a variation of the organic production system in which specific products are applied with a well-defined protocol. One of the main effects of these preparations should be the stimulation of beneficial soil and plant characteristics. The objective was to determine the soil parameters differences existing between biodynamically and organically growth vineyards (Vitis vinifera L.). Several parameters were evaluates: organic matter, total N, pH (H2O), available P, exchangeable values of K, Ca, Mg, assimilable values of Fe, Mn, Cu and B, soluble levels of Cl, K, Ca, Mg and Na, CTC, salinity, C/N, ammonium, nitrate, sand, silt and clay. There was a higher concentration of ammonium in the biodynamic system. With respect to the other soil fertility parameters there were no differences between the two types of management. In biodynamic vineyard, soil had a higher concentration of (soluble) calcium and higher value of salinity. It is possible that the increased amount of calcium in the soil had come from the chemical composition of the biodynamic preparations.