Earthworms are key indicators of soil quality and health in vineyards, but research that considers different soil management systems, especially in Slovenian viticultural areas is scarce. In this investigation, the impact of different soil management practices such as permanent green cover, the use of herbicides in row and inter-row areas, use of straw mulch, and shallow soil tillage compared to meadow control for earthworm abundance, were assessed. The biomass and abundance of earthworms (m²) and distribution in various soil layers were quantified for three years. Monitoring and a survey covering 22 May 2014 to 5 October 2016 in seven different sampling dates, along with a soil profile at the depth from 0 to 60 cm, were carried out. Our results showed that the lowest mean abundance and biomass of earthworms in all sampling periods were registered along the herbicide strip (within the rows). The highest abundance was found in the straw mulch and permanent green cover treatments (higher than in the control). On the plots where the herbicide was applied to the complete inter-row area, the abundance of the earthworm community decreased from the beginning to the end of the monitoring period. In contrast, shallow tillage showed a similar trend of declining earthworm abundance, which could indicate a deterioration of soil biodiversity conditions. We concluded that different soil management practices greatly affect the soil’s environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), especially in the upper soil layer (up to 15 cm deep), which affects the abundance of the earthworm community. Our results demonstrated that these practices need to be adapted to the climate and weather conditions, and also to human impacts.

In this study, the development trends of bioclimatic parameters recorded at the Maribor and Murska Sobota climate stations from 1952 to 2022 and the dynamics of grape ripening in early-, medium-, and late-ripening grape varieties in the Podravje wine-growing region in Slovenia (north-eastern Slovenia) from 1980 to 2022 were investigated. Based on the data on soluble solids content, total acidity, and the recommended harvest date per year (until the technological ripeness of the grapes; 76°Oe), trends for shortening the growing period of the vines were calculated. Temperature changes have been more pronounced since 1980. The number of so-called hot days (with a maximum of T > 30 °C) has increased the most, which has the greatest impact on other bioclimatic parameters, e.g., the average temperature and growing degree days (GDDs) and the Huglin index (HI). For the period of 1980 to 2022, the trends were 0.44 °C (Murska Sobota) and 0.51 °C (Maribor) per decade, respectively. The trends were more pronounced for the average temperature in the period of May–June (TMJ). After 1980, the HI increased by about 10 units per year. As a result of the climate warming, grapes in north-eastern Slovenia ripened 26 (‘Sauvignon Blanc’) to 35 (‘Welschriesling’) days earlier. The trends showed a decrease in total acidity, which can be attributed to the higher temperatures during the growing season period, especially during the ripening period of the grapes (véraison). After 2010, the average temperatures during the growing season (1 April to 31 October) in Podravje were 1.6 °C higher than in the 1980s. In line with the earlier ripening of the grapes, the actual average temperature from 1 April to the harvest date was a further 1.0 °C higher. The higher temperatures in the late-ripening varieties ‘Riesling’ and ‘Furmint’ had a positive effect on the lower total acidity. Total annual precipitation and precipitation in the growing season for the period 1980 to 2022 in the Maribor area show decreasing trends of 6 mm/m² (p = 0.001) and 4 mm/m² (p = 0.012), respectively. In the eastern sub-wine-growing region of Podravje (Murska Sobota), the trends in precipitation were not significant.

In order to realize the goals of the EU Farm to Fork strategy, grape growers are introducing new grape-growing technologies. Among the new trends, “0-pesticide residue” protection is quite a promising one. Field trials were carried out in vineyards located in the Mediterranean part of Slovenia in 2021 and 2022 to test the “0-pesticide residue” (ZPR) grape protection system with the goal of producing wine without pesticide residues above the limit of 0.001 mg kg⁻¹. The standard integrated grape protection program (IP) was compared to the ZPR program. The level of infection of leaves and grapes by fungal pathogens did not significantly increase due to the implementation of the ZPR spray program. The amount of yield and quality of yield were not decreased significantly, but a small financial loss of EUR 70–400 ha⁻¹ appeared at ZPR grape production when compared to the IP production system. The ZPR system enabled a significant decrease in pesticide residue concentration in wine at a rate of 27 applied pesticide active substances in a rage from 20% to 99%. The goal of producing wine without pesticide residues above the limit concentration of 0.001 mg kg⁻¹ was not completely achieved in these experiments, but we came very close to it with the tested spraying programs. Further finetuning of pesticide positioning and alternative plant protection products in 0-pesticide residue systems is needed.

The long-term use of copper (Cu) fungicides in viticulture in Europe has led to Cu accumulation in vineyard top soils. However, less is known about the accumulation of Cu in grapevine grafts after the callusing process/before planting in the nursery. This paper presents the capacity of 5BB and SO4 rootstocks to accumulate Cu, as well as the patterns of translocation in the grafts. After heat forcing (callusing), the grapevine grafts of Sauvignon Blanc on 5BB and SO4 rootstocks were grown in pots for six months in a glasshouse and exposed to various Cu formulations (Cu-oxychloride, Cu-gluconate) and concentrations in peat (50, 150, 500, and 1000 mg Cu of dry weight (DW)). In addition to monitoring the shoot growth dynamics and analyzing the copper content in graft organs, bioaccumulation (BAFs) and translocation factors (TFs) of Cu were calculated. The mean Cu concentrations were ranked as follows: roots (15–164) > rootstock trunks (8–38) > canes (5–21) mg kg⁻¹ DW. The Cu concentrations depended on the Cu formulation and concentration in the substrate. Higher Cu content was found in the roots of both rootstocks (5BB and SO4, 23–155 and 15–164 mg kg⁻¹ DW, respectively) and the lowest in the canes (less than 10 mg kg⁻¹ DW) of grafts grown in Cu-oxychloride-treated peat. Based on the BAFs and TFs, both rootstocks could be considered as Cu exclusive. A higher translocation rate was determined in systemic Cu-gluconate and SO4 rootstock. With shoot length measurements, the significant inhibitory effects of Cu on grapevine grafts growth could not be confirmed, despite the inhibitory effects that were clearly expressed in the first two months of growth. Soils containing more than 500 mg Cu/kg⁻¹ are less suitable for growing vine grafts.

This study examined the structure and trends of climate parameters important for grape production from 1952 to 2022 in the wine-growing regions of Podravje, Posavje, and Primorska in Slovenia. Average and extreme temperature and precipitation data from six meteorological stations in three wine-growing regions were divided into annual and growing seasons. The results show that in the period 1991–2022, there was a warming in the growing season in all regions by 1.4–1.7 °C, except the southern part of Primorska (Koper station) 0.6 °C, compared to the reference period 1961–1990. The heat accumulation indices (GDDs and HI) increased significantly, which is mainly due to the increase in the maximum temperature in the growing season temperature (GST max) and the number of days with Tmax > 30 °C (NDT30). The NDT30 increased the most, by a factor of more than four. In the reference period (1961–1990), however, the trend in the number of hot days was even slightly negative. The mean seasonal temperature rose to around 17 °C in regions with a continental climate and to around 19 °C in the Mediterranean region, which could be reflected in the earlier ripening of the grapes. The trends show a decrease in total annual precipitation (AP) after 1991, but this was significant only at one inland location (Maribor), while the total precipitation during the growing season (GSP) decreased significantly at three locations (Maribor, Bilje, and Koper).

The present study investigated whether different grafting combinations (hypobiont-epibiont) of Vitis spp. influence root infection with phylloxera and thus vine biomass on potted 2-year-old plants. The study was conducted simultaneously at two locations in Slovenia (VEM) and Hungary (GF). The dormant canes of ‘Johanniter’ (JOH), ‘Riesling’ (RR) and Vitis berlandieri × Vitis riparia ‘Teleki 5C’ (5C) were hetero-grafted (each with each) and autografted (each with itself), so that nine plant combinations were used for the trial. The roots of the experimental plants at different ages (1–2 years) were infested with two phylloxera populations originating from two locations (VEM, GF). Plant growth was quantified 120 days after inoculation by measuring root and shoot biomass, while the extent of phylloxera infestation was assessed by the number of feeding sites (nodosities, tuberosities) and the number of larval stages of phylloxera. In most cases, the genotype of the hypobiont influenced the degree of phylloxera infestation on all roots of the two-year-old root system. At both locations, the highest number of nodosities and the highest increase in phylloxera population was observed on the autografted Teleki 5C (5C/5C). The phylloxera biotype derived from Vitis vinifera roots (GF) induced tuberosities, especially on roots of combinations where JOH and RR were used as hypobionts. No correlation was found between biomass and phylloxera infestation. The hypobiont genotype had no effect on cane biomass at the end of the growth cycle at either experimental site.