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Carcassonne - Site Information |
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Site Location: |
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The Carcassonne site is located in the Aude region of Southern France (link to map showing all ProTerra sites). It sits mid way down an east facing slope of 4°– 9° , at an altitude of 200m and is confined by retaining walls, a hedge and a ditch. |
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A view of the field site at Carcassonne |
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Climate: |
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The area is influenced by both Mediterranean and Oceanic climates and rain in summer is usually a result of localised storm activity. The region has a history of big winter storms which have caused extensive flooding and taken lives. |
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The soil is a poorly structured and largely unprotected sandy clay loam, which has been eroded by water and regular cultivations. Below the cultivated layer, the soil is highly compacted. The extent of this compaction suggests that it is the natural, un-weathered state of the parent material and has not been induced by machinery. Such conditions combined with low root and earthworm activity have resulted in high levels of water retention in the surface layer. At times, this hampers machinery access and causes the soil to become anaerobic. |
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Cropping system: |
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The land is used to cultivate grapes for wine production. The vines are more than 50 years old, free standing and cultivated in rows which are up-slope down-slope and sit 2m apart. Their period of vegetative growth is from April to October. Outside this time frame the vines are dormant and have no leaves. Old canes are removed by pruning in February and those which are not needed to make new cuttings are left to decompose on the soil surface. |
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At the point of flowering, which takes place in June, and the ripening of the fruits in August / September, the vines are particularly sensitive to water stress; too little during flowering will result in reduced yields and too much during ripening will result in reduced sugar content and quality. Thus, good soil water management is critical. The harvest takes place in September. |
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With the exception of pruning and harvest, all operations are carried out mechanically using narrow tractors which pass between the vine rows. Field conditions permitting, the soil in these inter-row zones is cultivated up to 6 times during the spring and summer months. This is done to remove competitive weeds and temporarily improve infiltration. Herbicides are used to remove weeds in the vine row. Several chemical applications are necessary each year, during the spring and summer months, to control pest and fungal problems on the vines. The high water holding capacity of the soil severely hampers the timing of these procedures. |
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Ceri Llewellyn (NSRI) |
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