Critical levels (CL) of available potassium (K) in soils and leaves and maximum technical efficiency (MTE) doses are relevant information to define the best K fertilization strategies. The aim of this study was to determine reference values of K in leaves and soil, using Bayesian analysis, in order to maximize grape yield and must quality of ‘Chardonnay’ and ‘Pinot Noir’ grown in a subtropical climate. The vines were subjected to applications of 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 kg K₂O ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The CL and MTE doses of K, in leaves and soils, were determined using Bayesian hierarchical models. The range of probability of the occurrence of CL in leaves was 15.8 to 18.9 g K kg⁻¹ in ‘Chardonnay’ and 16.8 to 19.1 g K kg⁻¹ in ‘Pinot Noir’ at flowering. Moreover, the range was 15.3 to 18.1 g K kg⁻¹ in ‘Chardonnay’ and 16.1 to 18.2 g K kg⁻¹ in ‘Pinot Noir’ at veraison. In the soil, the CL of available K for ‘Chardonnay’ was 27.4 mg K kg⁻¹ and for ‘Pinot Noir’ it was 23.2 mg K kg⁻¹. The increase of K in leaves and soil increased the TSS, while the TTA decreased in both cultivars after sufficiency rate. The MTE was estimated in ‘Pinot Noir’. The proposition of CL and/or MTE doses of K can help increase the efficiency of K fertilization in vineyards.

Lime applications are used in acid soils to correct pH and eliminate Al ³⁺ toxicity in crops. The lime rates are determined based on the estimated soil potential acidity (H+Al), using soil incubations with calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ) for 180 days, being a time-consuming and laborious process. An alternative method with calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH) ₂ ] for 96 h incubation may efficiently estimate H+Al, but it needs further studies. Also, soils from specific regions in southern Brazil have high organic matter (SOM) contents (>5 %), medium clay contents (20-40 %), and are stony, lacking research to improve liming recommendations. The study aimed to determine potential acidity and adjust lime rates for acidity correction in medium-textured soils with high SOM and stoniness in the Serra Gaúcha region (RS), Brazil, and to test the efficiency of the short incubation alternative method. For this purpose, 20 native forest soils were sampled in the 0.00-0.20 m layer. Samples were dried, sieved, and subjected to short and long incubations. The H+Al values obtained through the incubations were compared with the Manual de calagem e adubação para os Estados do Rio Grande do Sul e de Santa Catarina (CQFS-RS/SC, 2016) equation. The H+Al values estimated by CQFS-RS/SC were lower than those determined by the long incubation, indicating lime rates ranging from 2.0 to 5.1 Mg ha ^-1 lower than in the long incubation. The short incubation showed a positive correlation (0.93***) with the long incubation. The potential acidity for soil water pH 6.5 can be obtained by long [H+Al (cmol _c dm ^-3 ) = 1354.9e ^-0.855TSM ] and short [H+Al (cmol _c dm ^-3 ) = 3763.8e ^-1.086TSM ] incubations, in which TSM is the Tampão Santa Maria index. On average, 34 % of the soil volume was composed of rock fragments (>2 mm). We recommend adjusting the limestone rates for soils with stoniness, considering only the percentage of soil in the diagnostic layer (SDL%).

Vineyard soils normally do not provide the amount of nitrogen (N) necessary for red wine production. Traditionally, the N concentration in leaves guides the N fertilization of vineyards to reach high grape yields and chemical composition under the ceteris paribus assumption. Moreover, the carryover effects of nutrients and carbohydrates stored by perennials such as grapevines are neglected. Where a well-documented database is assembled, machine learning (ML) methods can account for key site-specific features and carryover effects, impacting the performance of grapevines. The aim of this study was to predict, using ML tools, N management from local features to reach high berry yield and quality in ‘Alicante Bouschet’ vineyards. The 5-year (2015–2019) fertilizer trial comprised six N doses (0–20–40–60–80–100 kg N ha⁻¹) and three regimes of irrigation. Model features included N dosage, climatic indices, foliar N application, and stem diameter of the preceding season, all of which were indices of the carryover effects. Accuracy of ML models was the highest with a yield cutoff of 14 t ha⁻¹ and a total anthocyanin content (TAC) of 3900 mg L⁻¹. Regression models were more accurate for total soluble solids (TSS), total titratable acidity (TTA), pH, TAC, and total phenolic content (TPC) in the marketable grape yield. The tissue N ranges differed between high marketable yield and TAC, indicating a trade-off about 24 g N kg⁻¹ in the diagnostic leaf. The N dosage predicted varied from 0 to 40 kg N ha⁻¹ depending on target variable, this was calculated from local features and carryover effects but excluded climatic indices. The dataset can increase in size and diversity with the collaboration of growers, which can help to cross over the numerous combinations of features found in vineyards. This research contributes to the rational use of N fertilizers, but with the guarantee that obtaining high productivity must be with adequate composition.

Phosphate fertilizers are applied to the soil surface, especially in vineyards in production in subtropical regions. Nowadays, phosphorus (P) is not incorporated into the soil to avoid mechanical damage to the root system in orchards. However, over the years, successive surface P applications can increase the P content only in the topsoil, maintaining low P levels in the subsurface, which can reduce its use by grapevines. For this reason, there is a need to propose strategies to increase the P content in the soil profile of established orchards. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of management strategies to (i) increase the P content in the soil profile; (ii) enhance the grape production; and (iii) maintain the grape must composition. An experiment on the ‘Pinot Noir’ grape in full production was carried out over three crop seasons. The treatments were without P application (C), P on the soil surface without incorporation (SP), P incorporated at 20 cm (IP20), P incorporated at 40 cm (IP40), and twice the P dose incorporated at 40 cm (2IP40). The P concentration in leaves at flowering and veraison, P content in the soil, grape production and its components, and chemical parameters of the grape must (total soluble solids, total polyphenols, total titratable acidity, total anthocyanins, and pH) were evaluated. The P concentration in leaves did not differ among the P application modes. The application of P associated with soil mobilization, especially at 20 cm depth, increased grape production. The P application modes did not affect the values of the chemical parameters of the grape must except for the total anthocyanins, which had the highest values when the vines were subjected to 2IP40. Finally, the P application and incorporation into the soil profile was an efficient strategy for increasing the grape production in full production vineyards.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is normally grown under conventional tillage (CT) with soil being excessively mixed by plowing and harrowing operations that degrade soil structure, increase production costs, and increase environmental contamination. Alternatively, cover crops can be grown and their residues placed on soil surface, enabling garlic to be grown under no-tillage (NT) system. However, for subtropical climate there is little information on the impacts of tillage systems and cover crop species, particularly of their decomposition process and nutrients release, on garlic nutritional status and yield. This study aimed to evaluate garlic yield, and the decomposition rate and nutrient release from aboveground residues of cover crops cultivated in CT and NT methods, in a subtropical climate. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and sunn hemp (Crotalaria ochroleuca) were cultivated as cover crops previous to garlic, under CT or NT, for two consecutive years in the same area. The highest dry matter yield and nutrient release by cover crops were observed for millet and sunn hemp. The highest accumulations of P and K were observed in millet residue. Total garlic yield averaged 16.2 Mg ha ^-1 yr ^-1 and was affected neither by tillage method nor by cover crop species. The yield of marketable garlic was higher when soil was covered with bean residue in NT. Yield of non-marketable garlic was higher under CT in the first year, when high precipitation occurred shortly before harvest. The highest residue decomposition and nutrient release rates were observed under CT, in the three cover crop species. No-tillage increases marketable yield of garlic and the residence time of cover crop residues. We recommend cultivation in NT systems using cover crops, thus increasing marketable garlic yield and nutrient cycling.