Abstract

Agronomic management directly influences soil and berry quality in vineyards, a crop of global relevance. However, some knowledge gaps regarding the effects of management practices in traditional vineyards of the Itata Valley in Chile remain. This study evaluated the impact of contrasting management systems: non-managed País (PA), convention￾ally managed País (CPA), organically managed Cinsault (OCI) and organically managed Carmenere (OCA), on soil bioindicators, chemical composition and berry rheological prop￾erties. The results showed that organic management, such as OCA, resulted in 96% and 95% higher dehydrogenase and urease activities, respectively, while OCI exceeded CPA by 86% and 173% in arylsulfatase and phosphatase activities, respectively. The CPA treatment exhibited significantly higher available nitrogen compared with PA (231%), OCI (509%) and OCA (236%), as well as greater available phosphorus than OCI (503%) and OCA (413%). Regarding berry rheology, OCA displayed the highest pulp viscosity compared to OCI, although the differences among treatments were not statistically significant. Multivariate analysis associated CPA with higher soil chemical fertility, whereas organic systems (OCI and OCA) were related to greater soil bioactivity and fruit viscosity. Therefore, organic management is recommended to improve soil biological functionality and fruit structural stability, contributing to the long-term sustainability of vineyards in the valley.