Winegrape cultivation has become increasingly common throughout northwest China over the past 20 years, and such viticulture can profoundly impact the properties of the utilized soil and the associated soil microbial communities. To explore these effects in the present study, samples of soil were collected from control desert soil and from vineyards planted in different years: Cabernet Sauvignon (CS, 2014), Merlot (M, 2012), and Italian Riesling (IR, 2008). The properties of this soil and the microbial communities therein were assessed through a series of physicochemical, enzymatic, and high-throughput sequencing analyses. Compared to the control soil, respective 1033.06 U/g, 398.28 U/g, and 240.56 U/g increases in alkaline phosphatase activity levels were observed in the CS, M, and IR soil samples. Stable soil bacterial richness was observed in the control, CS, and M samples, but decreased in the 11-years old IR soil, whereas no noticeable changes in soil fungi were observed across these samples. The network analyses highlighted correlations among soil microbes, and soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon were found to strongly influence variability in these soil microbial communities. Overall, these findings thus provide strong evidence that the prolonged monoculture of winegrapes can contribute to the deterioration of soil quality.

Biodegradable liquid film (BLF) improves soil structure and increases plant freezing tolerance after spraying on the surface of soil and plant. In this study, the effects of BLF on grape composition and volatile compounds in Cabernet sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) grapes were determined by spraying BLF during the dormant periods over three years. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential impact of BLF as an overwintering protection measure on grape fruit quality. In 2020 and 2021, BLF spraying increased reducing sugar content and 100-berry weight, decreased titratable acid content, and improved the maturity factor. Compared with the vines not sprayed with BLF, the content of total phenols and total anthocyanins in grape skins showed an increase over the three-year period, with the largest increases of 31.92% and 48.38%, respectively, and the content of total tannins and total flavan-3-ols increased in 2020 and 2021. BLF treatment also increased the total phenolic content in seeds for all three years, reaching a significant level in 2019, 16.38% higher than control treatment (CK). HPLC analysis showed that BLF treatment affected the content and composition of monomeric anthocyanins in grape skins, especially in 2021, BLF treatment significantly increased the content of nine monomeric anthocyanins, and the proportion of acetylated and coumaroylated anthocyanins. However, GC-MS analysis indicated that BLF had little effect on volatile compounds. These results suggest that BLF can be used as an overwintering protection measure in cold regions to promote the accumulation of sugars and polyphenolics, thereby improving overall grape quality.

Grape cultivation and processing generate large amounts of pruned vine branches and grape pomace, which can be converted into biochar as an effective recycling strategy. This study aimed to investigate the effects of pyrolysis temperature (300–600 °C) and residence time (0.5–4 h) on biochar physicochemical properties and to evaluate the short-term impacts of biochar–manure co-application on vineyard soil physical quality. A total of 13 biochar variants were produced from vine branches (9 treatments, L₉(3²) orthogonal design) and grape pomace (4 treatments, L₄(2²) orthogonal design) under oxygen-limited pyrolysis. Biochar properties were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Based on comprehensive evaluation, branch-derived biochar pyrolyzed at 300 °C for 4 h (BC4-300; specific surface area: 24.07 m²·g⁻¹) and pomace-derived biochar pyrolyzed at 300 °C for 1 h (BP1-300; pH: 8.2–9.1) were selected as optimal soil amendments. A field experiment was then conducted using a randomized complete block design with ten treatment combinations (five for each biochar type), in which biochar was applied at 10 or 30 t·ha⁻¹ and co-applied with cattle manure at 10 or 30 t·ha⁻¹. After one growing season, BC4-300 significantly enhanced topsoil (0–20 cm) aggregate stability, increasing the mean weight diameter (MWD) by up to 27.8% compared with the control. In contrast, BP1-300 significantly improved subsoil (20–40 cm) aggregate stability, increasing the proportion of water-stable aggregates > 0.25 mm (R_0.25) by 15.6%. Moderate application rates (10 t·ha⁻¹ biochar + 10 t·ha⁻¹ manure) reduced subsoil bulk density by 6.3%. These findings demonstrate that optimizing pyrolysis parameters enables feedstock-specific biochar production and provide practical guidance for short-term soil physical improvement in sustainable vineyard management.

Cold injury constrains the cultivation of Vitis vinifera, whereas conventional interspecific breeding can improve cold resistance at the expense of fruit q