BOHEMIA SEKT and Plzeňský Prazdroj Share Experience with Deep-Rooting Cover Crops Against Drought and Erosion

Key facts:

• This year, BOHEMIA SEKT sowed a mixture of deep-rooting plants – buckwheat, clover and radish – across 66 hectares of its vineyards to improve the water situation and combat erosion.
• Sown between the vine rows, the mixture naturally loosens the soil, removing harmful compaction and improving permeability.
• BOHEMIA SEKT met with the Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery and hop growers, who are testing a similar approach in their Pro Chmel (For Hops) programme, to share experience. Based on this year's results, the company plans to expand the deep-rooting mixtures to 100 hectares.

This year, we sowed a mixture of deep-rooting plants – buckwheat, clover and radish – across 66 hectares of our vineyards. The aim of this trial is to improve the water situation in the vineyards and combat erosion. The mixture, sown between the rows of vines, brings benefits both for the soil and for the plants. "With its roots, this mixture of plants naturally loosens the soil, which removes harmful compaction and improves permeability," said Pavel Pavloušek of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University.

The Plzeňský Prazdroj company is testing a similar approach as part of its Pro Chmel (For Hops) programme. We therefore met with the Plzeňský Prazdroj team and hop growers to share experience, results and interesting findings regarding deep-rooting mixtures.

We will now monitor the condition of the plants and the soil, evaluate the results and compare them with vineyards under conventional management. "Based on the findings gained this year, we have decided to expand the deep-rooting mixtures to as much as 100 hectares of vineyards. We will continue to collect data and evaluate the effects on the vines and the harvest, and we will be glad to share them with other growers," said Ondřej Beránek, Director of BOHEMIA SEKT.