Impact of Vineyard Inter-Row Management in Estimated Soil Erosion Under Actual and Future Rainfall Scenarios

Sloping vineyards are highly susceptible to soil erosion driven by intense rainfall. Evaluating the impact of different soil management practices is crucial for implementing conservation strategies to mitigate this process. This study aims to estimate soil erosion under various inter-row management systems (permanent grass cover, alternating tillage, and different combinations of sown mixtures and termination methods) using a modeling procedure based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The research was conducted in the Oltrepò Pavese (Northern Italy), a representative hilly vineyard area with medium steepness and clayey soils. Soil erosion was modeled at an annual scale, considering current conditions and three future climate projections (CMCC-CM2-VHR4, MPI-ESM1.2-XR, and EC-Earth3P-HR). Results indicate that annual soil loss is strongly influenced by inter-row management across all rainfall scenarios. Conservative practices—specifically cereal-based cover crops combined with rolling and sub-row mulching—significantly reduced erosion compared to alternating tillage, with average rates dropping from 1.85–3.30 Mg/ha/yr to 0.02–0.04 Mg/ha/yr. These findings underscore the importance of optimized interrow management in reducing soil degradation on sloping terrains.